Callum McGregor has been delighted with the Hoops’ recent uptick in form – having won six from six in all competitions – but said while he always looks forward to the Glasgow derby, he and his team-mates must treat the game like any other.

The deputy skipper, who’s worn the armband in recent weeks with club captain Scott Brown dropping in and out of Neil Lennon’s starting XI, expects a tough contest at Ibrox, but stressed that every player in the Celtic dressing room understands what’s required of them in order to return to Paradise with maximum points.

“We’re looking forward to the game, we’re on a decent run and we’ve managed to get some momentum going as well which is good,” he said. “We’re looking forward to it, these games are always different, but we’re looking forward to it.

“We came through a difficult period, we’ve managed to get back on track, we’ve completed the season from last year, which is a nice boost, but there’s a lot of football still be played and that starts on Saturday. First and foremost, we had to win the game against Dundee United, and then the next one becomes the most important, which is Rangers.”

McGregor said he expects Rangers to be strong on their home turf, but said the visitors enter the game high in confidence having pulled though a dip in form towards the end of last year. Now, he expects Celtic to kick on into the New Year, which he wants to do with a win tomorrow (Saturday) first and foremost.

“We go on Saturday, we’ll go and try and win the game, that’s in our nature, it’s in our DNA.”

He added: “We’re getting towards our best now. We’ve scored goals, probably not just as free-flowing as we have been previously, but we’ve created chances and it’s just a case of putting those chances away.

“We had a few opportunities against Dundee United where, if we’d taken them, we could have had four or five. We’re starting to get there, the shape is good, we’re starting to look more solid as well.

“I don’t think it’s a must-win game, though. It’s the next game which makes it the most important game. We go on Saturday, we’ll go and try and win the game, that’s in our nature, it’s in our DNA.

“We understand that it’s an important game in terms of the league but we’re not going to put any labels on it, because you can very easily see that one weekend can change the momentum of the league. We’ve been here before, we’re experienced in that sense, that these games are just as important as the other 37.”

Callum McGregor: The next game is always the most important