Rangers manager Steven Gerrard insists he's seen a huge shift in his squad's mentality as he shrugs off "nonsense" claims about previous collapses.
The Ibrox club have the chance to go 19 points clear of Celtic when the pair meet on Saturday but fans are wary of previous slips.
For the past two seasons Rangers have won the festive Old Firm game only to collapse in January and see their rivals take the title.
A win at Ibrox could effectively kill things off but the manager says his side's new mentality means they're relaxed about the occasion.
Gerrard said: "We don't see it as pressure, we see it as an opportunity and are focused on the game plan to go and execute. It is an opportunity to take three points and make our position stronger.
"I think you can see our growth from my first derby several years ago.
"Every one of the players is looking forward to this fixture and it does feel very different from my first derby as manager.
"We've obviously had success on previous seasons in this fixture then not built upon it. Hopefully, we can continue our rhythm after this fixture.
"People try to blame the winter breaks or Dubai as the reason for the poor results after the Old Firm but it is a load of nonsense, the reality is we simply were not the best version of ourselves."
