Shane Blaney insists Rangers losing to St Mirren on Boxing Day means nothing, and Motherwell will face a torrid time against the Glasgow giants on Sunday.
Rangers’ 2-1 defeat in Paisley on Thursday was their first in 12 games, and Blaney expects Philippe Clement’s already under pressure side to visit Fir Park looking to make amends for that.
Motherwell lost 4-0 at Celtic Park on the same day, in the first part of a double-header that sees them play the Premiership’s top two twice in four days.
But Blaney says the Steelmen just need to get on with it and see what they can take on Sunday.
The Irish defender said: “I think ‘relentless’ is always the way it’s going to feel at Celtic Park. You’re playing against the best team in the country, so you’re going to be penned in and you’re going to need bits and pieces of luck.
“I felt for a large chunk of it we had done well, especially inside the first hour.
“Really up until the second goal things were going well, to a certain extent, without probably taking enough risk, going forward, but defensively and structure wise, it was good.
“The two games I’ve played at Celtic Park so far have both finished 1-1, and it felt in the first half and the hour as though it was that kind of game.
“Unfortunately we conceded the second one and then it became tough.
“It has been parked now, we’ve moved on, and we’ll be ready to go on Sunday. We expect the same. We expect the best version of Rangers.
“People say they lost on Thursday but that means nothing. They’ve been on a really good run of form, I think it’s one loss in 11 or 12, so they’ve been flying and the standard of their team is very good.
“We expect them to be chomping at the bit to get back to winning ways on Sunday, and we have to stop that.”
Much has been made of a hectic festive schedule that had Motherwell at Celtic Park on Boxing Day, at home to Rangers on Sunday, followed by a trip to Hearts on January 2, before welcoming Aberdeen three days later.
Blaney, who has returned to the side after 10 weeks out with a knee injury, says they just have to embrace that, adding: “I think it’s no secret how tough, on paper, the run is over Christmas, but it’s something that we have to turn on its head and hopefully get a couple of positive results.
“It’s a chance every three days to get a big win. That’s something the gaffer said straight after the game on Thursday, that there’s one coming straight away.
“We can redeem ourselves for certain things that happened.
“It’s tough getting the two, back-to-back, but it’s something we have to embrace and we have to be ready for.
“We’re definitely fit enough and able for it, we’re non-stop training, so there’s no excuses on that side of things and we’ll be ready for Sunday.”