Steven Gerrard expects his Rangers players to have more self-belief at Celtic Park on Sunday than when they lost there in September.

New Lennon plays it cool before his first Old Firm renewal | Ewan Murray Read more

The Rangers manager said his team sat back too much when they were defeated 1-0. But Gerrard feels there were mitigating factors given they had just returned from Russia, where they sealed a place in the Europa League group stages with a draw against Ufa. And he is optimistic his players will be more positive after they beat Celtic 1-0 at Ibrox in December.

“The last time we visited Celtic Park it was on the back of a Europa League game on the Thursday night,” he said. “We had a lot of travel, it was a big night emotionally for us to qualify with nine men, and then the Old Firm slapped us in the face within 72 hours, and it was a very difficult place.

“That affected us from the beginning. We also had to deal with the mental block of fearing Celtic over the years and the results that have been quite damaging. Beating them at Ibrox and showing that we can, at our best, compete and go toe to toe, that should help us this time round. Of course, that doesn’t mean we are going to go there and necessarily get a result.”

Rangers moved level with the Scottish champions when they beat them in the final game before the winter break, but they now trail by 10 points.

“They’ll be better,” Gerrard said. “We expect a strong Celtic team. We respect their home form, we know they have individual players that can win a game at any given time, and they have a manager that will motivate them very well.”

Sunday’s midday kick-off marks the resumption of Old Firm rivalry for Neil Lennon who replaced Brendan Rodgers as Celtic manager last month. Celtic have continued their good form under Lennon and they are unbeaten at home in domestic competition this season.

The former Celtic captain said: “It’s always a huge advantage being at home. Our record in recent years has been pretty good and our home record over the last couple of years domestically has been superb. I want Rangers to feel the noise and power we can generate here.

“That’s what being at home in a derby is all about. We generate that atmosphere and feed off that.”

Roundup

Hearts moved back above city rivals Hibernian to reclaim fifth in the Premiership table as second-half goals from Sean Clare and Uche Ikpeazu earned them a stirring comeback victory. Connor McLennan handed the visitors an early breakthrough but the match belonged to Hearts after the break as they sealed a valuable three points.

St Mirren leapfrogged Dundee at the bottom of the Premiership after fighting back from a goal down to win 2-1 in a captivating contest. The Sunderland loanee Ethan Robson scored in his first goal for the Taysiders in the first minute at the Simple Digital Arena, but parity was restored in the 12th minute by returning Saints striker Danny Mullen. Midfielder Brad Lyons, on loan from Blackburn, headed in his first St Mirren goal in the 58th minute to take Oran Kearney’s side two points clear of Dundee and into the relegation play-off spot, with two fixtures remaining before the split.

Motherwell kept their slim hopes of a top-six finish in the alive with a deserved 3-0 win against St Johnstone. Second-half goals from substitute Elliott Frear, the excellent David Turnbull and Richard Tait handed the hosts three points as the visitors rued missing an early penalty by Liam Craig.

Kilmarnock climbed above Aberdeen into third place with a comprehensive 5-0 victory over Hamilton at Rugby Park. Goals from Greg Taylor, Conor McAleny, Youssouf Mulumbu, Chris Burke and Mikael Ndjoli assisted Steve Clarke’s side in going past Aberdeen and into contention for a European place next season.