The derby weekend is upon us once more, with Celtic travelling to Ibrox this Sunday one point ahead at the top of the table, but with the home side having played a game fewer as the SPFL split edges ever nearer.

The Hoops have come out on top in the two previous clashes so far this term, with a 2-1 win at Celtic Park in December joyfully added to a 1-0 win at Ibrox earlier in the season with the Celts overcoming the handicap of not having a full squad in either games.

The non-availability of players has been thread stitched through this season, and it feels like the last few weeks have seen the team come over crest of the hill in respect of squad strength, with the likes of Alistair Johnston, Cameron Carter-Vickers and Reo Hatate all making welcome returns from the treatment table over recent games.

An almost constant in defence, though, is Liam Scales, and the Irishman is delighted to see his team-mates come back into the reckoning, especially for such an important game.

Speaking ahead of the game, he said: “They’re all good players, they’ve all experienced this game and it’s massive for us to have as strong a squad as possible.

“Even if they weren’t here, there are more than capable guys to fill in, but that helps a lot.

“It’s a difficult game regardless of what players are here and what players aren’t. We just have to go there with what we have, and that’s what we’ve done so far this year, we’re looking forward to it.”

The Celts, players and supporters alike, will be looking forward to the fixture even more now that Callum McGregor is back in the running for a place in the team, and the skipper’s importance to the side is not lost on the defender.

The Irishman said: “He’s massive for us. He’s our leader, so that helps a lot.

‘I think mentally more than anything it helps because you’re going there with your captain and that’s massive for us.’

“He’s obviously a top, top player and he’s so good at controlling the tempo of the game, and that’s going to be key for us as well, so he’s a huge player to have in fixtures like this.”

Liam Scales relishing third derby of the season this weekend