Thursday 29 January 2015 16:11, UK
Rangers captain Lee McCulloch says his team respect Celtic but have nothing to fear ahead of Sunday's Scottish League Cup semi-final.
McCulloch's team-mate Stevie Smith said earlier this month that he was dreading the Hampden showpiece but former Scotland star McCulloch insists he is scared of no-one in the champions line-up.
He said: "There is no fear. All sorts of form goes out the window in Old Firm games so I don't think there is any sort of fear at all. There's respect but there's never really any fear."
But the central defender did concede his Championship side were underdogs going into the game for the right to face either Dundee United or Aberdeen who meet at the same venue 24 hours earlier.
"I think that goes without saying, we're massive underdogs," he said. "But it's good that we've got the mentality to show people we're capable of winning.
"All the pressure is on Celtic. We're not going into it relaxed but we know it's an Old Firm game and a place in the final is at stake.
"It's not for me to say if there's a big gulf. We will see on Sunday how big it is. I'm not into all the odds. But all I would say is that it is going to be really hard for us. Just like it was in the past."
McCulloch also rejects the suggestion that beating Ronny Deila's men would be a bigger feat than reaching the 2008 UEFA Cup final under former boss Walter Smith.
The 36-year-old added: "The game is not as big as people are making out, not in my eyes. We've beaten Celtic before, so why can't we go and do it again?
"To beat your nearest rivals means everything. But it's never easy to win an Old Firm game. Never.
All the pressure is on Celtic. We're not going into it relaxed but we know it's an Old Firm game and a place in the final is at stake
"These games are special - the biggest in Scotland. You would be lying if you said you didn't miss them as a player. I would imagine managers don't miss them.
"But as a player you definitely miss the occasion, the atmosphere, the bragging rights for the fans. It's a once-in-a-lifetime sort of experience. I can't wait for Sunday."
Police officers have visited both both teams ahead of the cup clash to caution them on the need to keep their behaviour in check come 1.30pm on Sunday when the semi-final kicks off and McCulloch says the message has been taken on board by the Rangers camp.
"We will need cool heads," he added. "The atmosphere can get the better of you. There is a lot of people in our dressing room experiencing it for the first time.
"I think it is brilliant that the police came out to give us little pointers on what is right and wrong. All the players are well aware the repercussions if they do something wrong.
"I don't expect the atmosphere to be any nastier than normal. I know it's been a while since the last game but it's just another Old Firm match. The only thing that has changed is the time since the last one. Everybody just needs to keep
their heads calm and go and enjoy it. You can only do that with a win."
