Gordon Strachan tells Moira Gordon of his and Walter Smith's unlikely alliance

RIVALS THIS afternoon but as close as it comes to kindred spirits. In the intensity of the first Old Firm derby of the season, Gordon Strachan claims Walter Smith is the only one who will know what he is going through this afternoon. Which is why the Celtic boss enjoys spending time with his Rangers counterpart.

The pair have not met up since last season's climax, but Strachan says he would have loved to have spent more time with Smith recently.

"I've not met him since (the end of last season], which is unusual because we keep saying we're going to have a game of golf at Loch Lomond but we never seem to have any time. It's a shame because I like being in his company. He is one of few people who actually understands what it is like to be an Old Firm manager.

"Some people think they know but you can only know if you have actually experienced it. It helps to spend time with him. It helps to have that outlet. It's a kind of kinship, if you like."

Understanding what to expect from an Old Firm tussle could be key today. With newcomers in the ranks on both sides, the way in which they adapt to the tempo of the match and tense environs will have a major say in how the result pans out, according to Strachan, as well as midfielder Paul Hartley. "I don't think anyone coming into the game can know what to expect," says Hartley. "The atmosphere, the need to get a result, the battles that need to be won all over the park, it's different from anything else in Scotland. I don't think it matters how many Old Firm games you have seen, you have to play in one to understand."

"Whatever happens, however you prepare them for these games, you can't fully prepare them," adds Strachan, who is likely to have the more experienced Old Firm line-up at the start of the 90 minutes.

A guy who played in the Manchester United v Liverpool matches, which he claims were imbued with a real nastiness, he says even he cannot totally understand what it must be like for those on the gladiatorial grass during Glasgow's biggest derby.

The fact that, last season, each team won their two derbies at home says a lot about the benefits of a partisan support. "You only have to look at the four games last year to see that it helps when you have most of the crowd behind you," says Hartley. "But it also depends how you play. Hopefully we will get another good result if we make that home advantage count for us."

Having suffered two defeats to Rangers earlier in the campaign last season, it was the two Celtic Park matches, in quick succession, which breathed life into Celtic's title hopes last term. On those occasions, says Hartley, they played the matches at a high tempo, got their passing game together and made their opportunities count.

With individual tussles needing to be won in every department, the midfield will be the most interesting battlefield. While Hartley is on form, Rangers captain Barry Ferguson will be the most notable absentee. Instead there will be the technically-gifted Mendes.

Hartley says the Celtic midfield's Old Firm experience could count in their favour. All of those likely to start across the centre of the pitch have been there and done it.

The biggest worry for Celtic is the injuries to Scott McDonald, Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink and Shaun Maloney. All were undergoing late fitness tests but Strachan said he hoped to have at least one of the strikers in the fold for this afternoon. With Maloney and Georgios Samaras pairing up so effectively last weekend, Hartley is not concerned. "They struck up a partnership right away and now we know we have strength in depth. We have people in all departments who can come in and do a job."

Whether they do or don't, Strachan says he and Smith will finally get the chance to sit down post match and enjoy a cup of tea and each other's company. While the world outside goes into the usual post-match hyperbole, with this and that being read into the result, they will share the same sense of proportion. They saw how the first two Old Firm games of last season finished and how the campaign panned out. They understood nothing is won or lost in these early skirmishes. No wonder Strachan insists they are the only two who can really understand the other's job.