Celtic v Rangers: Alex McLeish yesterday consigned his personal unbeaten Old Firm record as Rangers manager to the history books just as Martin O'Neill, his opposite number at Celtic, was disregarding the statistics equally decisively. Graham Clark reports

The two men have gone head to head in the Glasgow derby four times and because the Ibrox manager has emerged with a record that reads won two, drawn two, lost none, he finds his own part in proceedings in the spotlight.

McLeish's victories came in last season's Scottish League Cup semi-final and the Scottish Cup final. The Premier League matches home and away were drawn.

"All those results did was cement my relationship with the fans, but it is the next meeting that is always the most important," McLeish insisted.

That comes tomorrow afternoon at Celtic Park, where McLeish and Rangers have to recover from the debilitating UEFA Cup defeat against Viktoria Zizkov at the same time as maintaining their one-point lead at the top of the table.

"The players have lifted me with their spirit and attitude after the European defeat," McLeish said.

"I imagine, though, that Martin's team talk will suggest we might be vulnerable after a hard European match and that would really be no surprise.

"I can't expect it to be a bed of roses every week here, but this is a new day and Old Firm matches tend to be full of twists. Whatever happens, it will not be make or break for either team."

McLeish's personal contribution will again be important, though, and even if it means nothing to him, for he is concentrating on matters other than any personal advantage over the Irishman, it is nevertheless an interesting sideshow to the main event.

He seems sure to go again with three players up front in a bold attempt to take on Celtic's trio at the back. Usually this would be Johan Mjallby, Bobo Balde and Joos Valgaeren, but with the Swede absent through injury, Ulrik Laursen will step in.

O'Neill does not particularly like change - despite the luxury of wholesale alterations in their UEFA Cup tie away to Suduva Marijampole on the back of an 8-1 first-leg lead - so once more he will rely on three at the back augmented by the wing-backs, Didier Agathe on the right and Steve Guppy on the left.

The Irishman will tell his players to ignore the managerial facts that favour McLeish and joked: "Alex will not be the first person to have the upper hand over me because, after all, I'm not even top dog in my own family. My 18-year-old daughter is running the show at the moment.

"None of that stuff bothers me a jot. Instead we have our own record to protect because we have not lost a league game to Rangers in almost two seasons and that gives us confidence.

"Two years ago we took nine points off them and last season it was eight, all of which were very important."

The pair clearly recognise this fixture is always different even if both like to point out at regular intervals that a victory is still only worth the same three points as any other win.

In quieter moments, though, both managers concede the championship can be won and lost in these derbies - more than ever nowadays - so it will be a hugely significant day.

They have a healthy respect for each other - dating from when they played against each other for Scotland and Northern Ireland respectively, longer ago than either cares to recall - and a certain mutual sympathy that goes with their experience of life in the Glasgow goldfish bowl.

McLeish this season has been moved to break an unwritten rule that has prevented Old Firm managers from watching games at their rivals' stadium when he has visited Celtic Park on a couple of occasions.

O'Neill, meanwhile, has hinted that he would rather like to see Rangers' £14 million training centre on the outskirts of Glasgow and has in turn been told by McLeish that it can be arranged.

It is something of a thaw in traditional Old Firm relations, but the temperature will never drop much below boiling point this weekend.

Guardian Service