The financially-strapped Rangers European hangover was compounded by more self-inflicted problems in Kaunas, while Celtic can look forward to huge money-spinning games against the likes of Manchester United.

Celtic players also have the advantage of knowing exactly how they are going to set up this afternoon. Gordon Strachan seems confident that his players fit perfectly into a standard 4-4-2 formation and will feel no compunction to even consider changing against their oldest rivals.

The only real questions revolves around the front two due to recent injuries, but while a couple of weeks ago the partnership of Shaun Maloney and Georgios Samaras was unthinkable, their immediate understanding developed against Falkirk will have relaxed the fans considerably before the big one today.

Strachan would like to have had Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink and Scott McDonald available, but the absence of Barry Ferguson and Lee McCulloch is arguably an even bigger concern for Rangers.

Received wisdom has it that many of these games are won and lost in the muscular midfield battles and this provides a dilemma for Walter Smith. His avowed plan is to play a more expansive style than last season but there must be a temptation to risk the anger of his own fans and revert to a lone striker, allowing him to pack the midfield and hopefully dominate this vital area.

Even without Ferguson, Rangers suddenly look much stronger in this area with the acquisition of Pedro Mendes and Steven Davies. There may even be a place for new recruit Maurice Edu, who loves a tackle and has the raw power that just might be suited to the occasion, as long as he understands the need for a level of control.

Playing a five-man midfield would also have the benefit of denying space for Celtic's most creative duo, Aiden McGeady and Shunsuke Nakamura. In many of the recent Old Firm encounters, the graceful Nakamura has been a peripheral figure for long periods because of the robust nature and frenetic pace of the affairs and Rangers would be delighted if this happened again.

If the Rangers wide midfielders mark in front of the Celtic wing men then the home side will be forced through the middle, precisely where Walter has made his side strongest since his return. The loss of Carlos Cuellar might have an impact but his replacement, Madjid Bougherra, appears to have had the answers to most of the questions the SPL has asked him so far. Today will be his most severe grilling, however. And this is the one he, and all the Old Firm virgins, will be judged upon.

Walter also has a decision to make up front and once again he will be tempted to risk the ire of his own fans, as well as Celtic's. Going with Kenny Miller on his own would be a risky strategy but if it pays off and the Scotland striker scores the winner it would yield the added bonus of generating full forgiveness from the Ibrox faithful. The downside, of course, is that, if he misses a golden opportunity or two, the opposite is true. Those in blue in the stands would be seething and those in green would have a new ironic hero to replace Filip Sebo.

The problem for Smith is simple. If the cautious approach that worked a treat all the way to Manchester last season happens to fail today, then the anger and frustration still brewing from Lithuania could boil up once more and spill over into open revolt. The dissidents could argue, with some justification, that not only did the lone striker system fail in Manchester and Kaunas, it also failed in April's Parkhead derby which Celtic won 3-2 – though neither intelligent tactics nor any semblance of good sense managed to make it through the entire 90 minutes that day either.

All this, of course, supposes that Walter wilts and doesn't match up to Celtic with a traditional 4-4-2 of his own. If he does it will almost certainly make for a more open and entertaining game, with maybe just a little extra space for the classier players to enjoy. The emphasis for both sides would then be on attack and who knows, maybe even Kris Boyd will get a run out for five minutes if things are going really badly.

On the downside for the southsiders, this type of game would be the preferred option for Celtic as it would suit their style perfectly. So whichever way you look at it, tactically Gordon's men must be considered favourites. Happily, though, this is still one of the most combustible atmospheres in sport and the unexpected is just about a racing certainty. It remains the one result I would never bet on with confidence and neither should any sane man, though there will be precious few of them around Parkhead today.

Key Battles by BEN RUMSBY

STEPHEN McMANUS v KENNY MILLER

Celtic captain McManus knows all about Miller. The pair were on the same side for all four Old Firm clashes two seasons ago but today will be in direct opposition. McManus, 25, is an old-fashioned, no-nonsense stopper who has been a key component of his club's recent success.

Miller's return to Rangers has divided opinion among the club's fans. A goal against their fierce rivals would go some way to winning them over, just as scoring for Celtic in this fixture did two years ago. McManus knows all about Miller's pace and tricky runs, but will he be able to shackle him?

PAUL HARTLEY v PEDRO MENDES

Hartley has reinvented himself as a holding midfielder in Gordon Strachan's side but he is unlikely to face a greater test of his proficiency in the Clydesdale Bank Premier League this season. He remains a danger going forward, as his goal at Dundee United this season shows.

Mendes has made an instant impact at Ibrox since joining Rangers from Portsmouth two weeks ago. The all-action midfielder has filled the void left by the injury to skipper Barry Ferguson, earning himself a recall to the Portugal squad more than five years after his last cap. Technically gifted, with an eye for a spectacular goal, Mendes will be crucial to Rangers' hopes today.

MADJID BOUGHERRA v GEORGIOS SAMARAS

Like Mendes, this will be Bougherra's first taste of an Old Firm derby and though he has impressed since his summer move from Charlton, this will be the first real test of the Algerian's mettle since stepping up to the difficult task of replacing last season's SPL player of the season, Carlos Cuellar.

This match is arguably Samaras' big chance to prove to Strachan he is more than an just an impact player. With Scott McDonald and Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink looking certain to miss the match through injury, the Greek is set to start his first derby after coming off the bench in the two Parkhead clashes last season.