Danny Rohl wants Rangers to make strong start against ‘nervous’ Celtic in derby

Danny Rohl wants Rangers to exploit any Celtic nerves with a flying start to Saturday’s Old Firm clash at Parkhead.

Hoops boss Wilfried Nancy is under enormous pressure, with many fans calling for his dismissal after the 2-0 defeat at Motherwell on Tuesday night left him with five losses from his seven-game tenure.

Since taking over from Russell Martin in October, Rohl has rejuvenated Rangers in terms of their William Hill Premiership results and eight wins, two draws and one defeat have taken them to within three points of the champions and six behind leaders Hearts.

“Yeah, I think they’re nervous, from what you heard so far,” said the German coach, who confirmed striker Bojan Miovski will return from the illness which kept him out of the 2-1 win over St Mirren at Ibrox on Tuesday night, while dampening down any expectations of new faces coming through the door before the game.

“But I think it’s about us, how we start in such a game.

“I totally believe if we are right there, we are on front foot, we can win some good balls and we hurt them, then they will be more nervous.

“But if they create some good moments in the beginning, then I think the crowd will be straight behind them.

“And I think this is a bit more beside the tactics, also the emotional and psychological things, that we have to understand.

“Looking back to 2025, it was maybe not the best year for our supporters, for the club.

“We have a good chance to have a good start to the year tomorrow.

“We finished the year strong with two wins in a row. That’s fantastic.

“We want to improve. We want to bring the pride back to the club, the success back to the club.

“And hopefully it starts tomorrow with a good game. I think we will not make the mistake tomorrow to underrate the opponent, even though they have had a bad run. I think it’s totally wrong.

“My experience from these big games, when I played with Munich versus Dortmund, I know what it means to play such a game.

“It starts always 0-0. There’s a lot of emotional things. But this is the good thing. When I look at the moment in my dressing room and I ask them if they’re ready to play this game, they will be ready.”

Rohl is looking to strengthen his squad in the transfer window.

However, when asked about the possibility of adding to his squad before the trip to Parkhead, the former Sheffield Wednesday boss said: “You never know. In 24 hours on a transfer day, a lot of things are possible.

“But if you ask me now, then I don’t think that we will sign today. But we are working and this is then about timing.

“We are working 24/7 for players. It’s about decision-making. It’s about negotiations.

“It’s about timing. We have some players in our mind, but you have to be a little bit patient.”