Rangers: Gerrard says Celtic match will NOT be like a lions den
The two lock horns in the third Old Firm derby of the season this afternoon at Parkhead (12pm).
Rangers know that anything other than a victory will surely kill their Scottish Premiership title prospects stone dead, with the two teams separated by 10 points going into the clash.
Celtic would be 13 points clear with just seven matches remaining of the campaign with victory and would essentially be champions elect for the eighth successive season.
The Gers won the last meeting between the two Glasgow giants 1-0 at Ibrox in December to end a 13-game winless run in the derby and move level on points with the defending Premiership champions, although the Hoops had a game in hand.
Since then, Rangers have stumbled in their nine league matches and also suffered disappointment in the cup - with it increasingly likely Gerrard’s first season at the club will end trophyless.
The Liverpudlian coach has come in for scrutiny already, particularly in the transfer market having endured mixed success with the likes of Ryan Kent, Scott Arfield, Allan McGregor and Connor Goldson all viewed as hits for the Light Blues.
But by contrast, Eros Grezda, Kyle Lafferty, Ovie Ejaria, Steven Davis and Umar Sadiq are among the players who have struggled to make the desired impact - with several of them having been loanees.
And Gerrard insists if Rangers really want to make progress with Celtic closing in on a third successive domestic treble then he needs the finances to make permanent upgrades to his squad.
Steven Gerrard wants money to spend on signings in the summer (Image: GETTY)
Steven Gerrard is under growing pressure amid Rangers' up-and-down campaign (Image: GETTY)
Rangers have stumbled in the Premiership title race (Image: GETTY)
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Steven Gerrard is keen to further strengthen his squad (Image: GETTY)
We’re going to need financial support, that’s the reality
Steven Gerrard
Gerrard declared: “Listen, Celtic have won the last seven [domestic] trophies on offer. They’ve got good players. Celtic’s budget is double, or more, my budget.
“I was never going to get carried away after we beat them in December. I never thought we’re better than Celtic because we took three points off them.
“That would have been stupid. If I thought that, I’d have been leaving myself wide open to criticism.
“We’ve got tons and tons of work to do here to get to where we want to be. Forget competing with anyone, we’ve got tons of work to do.
“We need to be better personnel-wise in certain areas. We need more, better options. I know exactly where we are and where we need to get to.
Rangers: Gerrard has ‘huge doubt’ over Celtic game
Celtic have double the budget of Rangers, says Steven Gerrard (Image: GETTY)
Gerrard has regularly hit out at his players this season while challenging them to meet expectations (Image: GETTY)
“No-one I know, players or staff, think we are anything other than a team in progress that needs a lot of hard work.
“How do we bridge the budget gap? We’re going to need financial support, that’s the reality.
“We’ve built a decent base since we came in, in terms of the changes we’ve made at the training ground, Ibrox and to the team. We’re doing everything we can to improve things.
“There are a lot of players out there who are capable, and available. Sometimes it’s hard to do it on a free or a loan. But somewhere along the line you need to add icing to the cake and that costs money.”