Rangers suffered defeat in the first Old Firm derby of the season.
Terry Butcher has told the Scottish Herald that he is confident Rangers can beat Old Firm rivals Celtic at Ibrox on December 29, despite losing the first Glasgow derby of the season in September.
Olivier Ntcham’s goal saw Steven Gerrard not only taste his first Old Firm defeat, but his first loss as Rangers manager back on September 2 as The Hoops dominated at Parkhead.
But Rangers are getting better and better under the Liverpool and England legend, so much so that the Gers currently sit at the top of the Europa League group ahead of Villarreal, Spartak Moscow and Rapid Vienna.
Celtic travel to Ibrox for the last game before the January break on December 29, as he looks to stretch the unbeaten run against Rangers to 13 matches since the Gers returned to the top flight. But Butcher is confident Rangers can produce.
“Rangers are closer now than they have been in the last six or seven years. Yes, they are still a long way behind. But you can look at that and say: ‘Rangers have made big strides forward’,” Butcher said.
“Steven will have learned a lot about himself, a lot about the level his team was at and a lot about where Celtic are. The big question for him afterwards would be how can Rangers get to that level very quickly.
“Having gone through it once, he will look forward to the next one on home so soil at Ibrox even more. To get to beat Celtic you have got to do something special. He will know that, but he will try to figure out how to do it.”
Currently sitting in sixth place in the Scottish Premiership, Rangers have started in average form in the league with four wins from eight but two losses to Celtic and Livingston.
They sit two points behind third-placed Celtic and five behind Hearts after beating Craig Levein’s side last time out with a 3-1 win at Ibrox. They can continue to keep the pressure on with a win over Hamilton on Sunday at the SuperSeal Stadium.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
