Rangers midfielder Nicolas Raskin has spoken candidly about the unique nature of Old Firm encounters, following his side’s 1-1 draw with Celtic on Sunday, which extended their unbeaten run in the derby to three matches in 2025.
While the result in the latest clash with their fierce city rivals demonstrated the intensity and commitment Rangers bring to the table, it highlighted the stark contrast in their league form this season.
Despite earning a hard-fought draw, Rangers still find themselves 17 points adrift of Celtic at the top of the Scottish Premiership, and more worryingly, they've failed to win 15 of their 35 league matches in the current campaign.
This inconsistency has raised questions about their performances against teams outside of the Old Firm, with many pointing to an inability to match their high standards when facing so-called lesser sides.
Read more:
-
Raging Vaclav Cerny sends sub message as he batters Rangers dugout
-
‘He’d fancy it!’ – Neil Warnock fuels Rangers rumours with Ibrox derby visit
Reflecting on the challenge of facing Celtic, Raskin, who was named Man of the Match for his all-action display, shared his thoughts on what makes Old Firm games so different.
“For me, it’s a totally different game [playing Celtic],” said Raskin in an interview with Sky Sports. “There is less pace in the other games; we need to break the wall.”
The Belgian midfielder also highlighted an area where Rangers have faltered this season - early goals.
“This season, I think scoring goals early in games to give ourselves more space and more chance to attack with more freedom,” Raskin explained. “We have missed chances too many times, then conceded a bad goal and then being behind and struggling to come back.
“That’s something we are all aware of and we want to make it much better next season because we can’t be happy winning twice, drawing once, and being so far from them."
