While discussing his team's prospects yesterday of ending a sequence of four defeats in Old Firm matches without scoring a goal, Strachan was asked if he could say honestly that he was enjoying every aspect of what he is going through at the moment. The inquiry was clearly loaded with implications – including the widespread clamour for his removal among Celtic supporters – perhaps in the hope of eliciting a negative answer that would at least hint at the manager's overall dissatisfaction with his job.

After about two seconds of pondering, he replied, "Well, I'd love to be at the top of the league, but I'm not, and I'd love to be still in the Scottish Cup, but I'm not. So I get on with it."

What Strachan has to "get on with" is the business of eating into the four-point advantage Rangers have over Celtic at the top of the Clydesdale Bank Premier League, a lead that will almost certainly prove decisive in the event of another failure by the Parkhead side.

Strachan also admitted that "we need to win", conscious of Smith's side's two matches in hand, and the near-certainty that Rangers will not drop sufficient points in the seven games they will have to play after tonight – even if they do include another trip to Celtic Park – to prevent their regaining the title they last held three years ago.

"Just winning the match is our sole focus," said Strachan. "There are no other implications, such as emphasising the rewards for victory or the penalty for failure. On this occasion, it's not a long-term thing, such as you would have earlier in the season.

"In the present circumstances, the match, or the outcome of it, will have an immediate impact. I suppose you could say that being at home is an advantage, because teams are always more comfortable on their own ground. But we've had some of our better performances away and some of our poorer results at home, so it's difficult to say."

In pursuit of his objective, Strachan suffered a potentially serious set-back yesterday with the news that midfielder Paul Hartley had sustained a hamstring injury in the 4-1 League victory over Motherwell at Fir Park on Sunday. The manager merely mentioned it in passing, but it was learned later that Hartley is to undergo a fitness test today and that his chances of playing are no better than 50-50.

It had seemed certain that Strachan would have played the team who recorded their highest score in more than two months at Fir Park, featuring a central midfield partnership of Hartley and Barry Robson. With Scott Brown in the middle of a three-match suspension, his only alternatives to the former Hearts player would appear to be the largely disappointing Massimo Donati or Evander Sno.

"Oh, there's no doubt the performance at Motherwell will be influential in the selection process," he said. "Those players did themselves no harm. It was on reflection that I thought it was a fair performance, after considering the condition of the playing surface and the way the ball was moving.

"But it also tells you about the quirks of the game, when we can have five attempts on target and score four goals. In other matches recently, we have had many more shots on target and scored none. It's madness. I don't think it's a question of asking, 'why have players who didn't do it in previous games suddenly done it now?'. I'd love to be able to explain it, but I can't.

"Of course, it's encouraging, but I'm always positive going into matches anyway. I see this one with Rangers as an opportunity and nothing else. I'm fully aware of our record in the fixture over the past year, but I don't really believe in monkeys on your back, or that kind of thing. Although I do remember that, in 21 years in English football, I never managed a victory against Newcastle United in any capacity, as a player, a manager or a coach.

"Yes, it's true that I have won against Rangers in the past, but that's forgotten about. In the two matches we've lost to Rangers this season, they were the better team in the first and deserved to win, no doubt about that, while I thought we did enough to have won the recent one at Ibrox. But we didn't have bad luck, or bad refereeing decisions, so we don't have a complaint about that.

"And there is no doubt that Rangers' consistency this season has been first class, we have to give them credit for that."

Strachan may disdain the notion that Rangers – or, more specifically, Walter Smith – currently have a hex on their fiercest rivals, but there remains the possibility a sense of futility may have settled on some of those Celtic players who have yet to avoid defeat, far less experience victory, in the fixture.

Shrugging it off is likely to be a significant element in how they go about their work tonight and it will be intriguing if, for example, they encounter the unfamiliar sensation of taking the lead. Falling behind would also be alien to a number of Rangers players. However, it is approached, this renewal of the old conflict promises once again to be riveting.

Pitch battles hold key to victory as Rangers target further Old Firm success

IF CELTIC are to have any chance of catching Clydesdale Bank Premier League leaders Rangers, they must make home advantage count in tonight's Old Firm derby. Here are some of the key clashes which could either end the Parkhead side's pursuit or blow the title race wide open again.

JEAN-CLAUDE DARCHEVILLE v STEPHEN McMANUS

Darcheville has still to play a full match for Rangers, but in bursts of 60 to 70 minutes he has been a threat to the best defences in Scotland and across Europe. Appeared to revel in his first Old Firm outing last month, and a trip across the city to Parkhead is unlikely to hold any fear for the Frenchman.

Celtic captain McManus and defensive colleague Gary Caldwell were put under plenty of pressure by Darcheville at Ibrox.

Celtic allowed Motherwell to pinch a win at Parkhead in their next game. But McManus scored at both ends when Celtic avenged their defeat to the Lanarkshire side on Sunday, winning 4-1 at Fir Park.

CARLOS CUELLAR v SCOTT McDONALD

Cuellar's Clydesdale Bank Player of the Season award looks set to be the first of several individual prizes for the Spaniard, who has been a defensive rock alongside David Weir.

Celtic have failed to breach the Rangers defence in the last four meetings and Cuellar will be a key figure if the Ibrox side are to extend that record.

McDonald will be hoping a dip in form is now firmly behind him after helping Celtic on their way to a 4-1 win over his former club, Motherwell.

The SPL's top scorer this season having hit the net 21 times, the Australian will now be seeking to add his first Old Firm goal to that collection.

BARRY FERGUSON v PAUL HARTLEY

An ongoing ankle problem means Ferguson may not have hit top form in terms of performances in recent weeks but the Rangers skipper undoubtedly remains the driving force behind the team.

Now a veteran of Old Firm derbies, his influence will be crucial if Rangers are to win the midfield battle.

Hartley has spent the season vying for a midfield slot with Massimo Donati and now seems to be getting the nod ahead of the Italian in the big games, starting last month's Old Firm derby at Ibrox. Hartley has a slight injury concern but is still expected to start.

Scott Brown's suspension will mean extra responsibility for the experienced campaigner.

WALTER SMITH v GORDON STRACHAN

Walter Smith undoubtedly has the edge in this fixture, claiming victory in all four derbies since his return to the Ibrox helm in January 2007.

In fact, Celtic have yet to score against their bitter rivals since Smith replaced Paul Le Guen in the dug-out.

The former Scotland manager heads into the clash after being named Clydesdale Bank Manager of the Season.

Despite delivering two SPL titles, Gordon Strachan has never fully won over a section of the Celtic support and now faces a battle to keep the rest of the Parkhead faithful on side.

Sunday's win over Motherwell helped ease the pressure but the Celtic manager knows a victory over Rangers is crucial.

SMITH HAS UPPER HAND

GORDON Strachan will need to improve on his woeful record against Walter Smith if his side are to maintain their hopes of a successful title defence tonight.

The Celtic manager has lost eight of his 12 previous meetings against his Rangers counterpart north and south of the Border since the two men faced each other for the first time ten years ago.

Smith has the upper hand on Strachan since his return to Govan over a year ago. The Old Firm managers have faced each other four times in the Scottish Premier League, with Strachan's team failing to win or even score. But Smith and Strachan are familiar rivals having previously clashed in England when the Ibrox manager was in charge at Everton while his Parkhead counterpart was with Coventry City and Southampton.

Here are the head-to-head records of both men in all competitions in Scotland and England:

1998-9: English Premier League – Coventry 3, Everton 0

1998-9: FA Cup – Everton 2, Coventry 0

1998-9: English Premier League – Everton 2, Coventry 0

1999-00: English Premier League – Everton 1, Coventry 1

1999-00: English Premier League – Coventry 1, Everton 0

2000-1: English Premier League – Everton 1, Coventry 2

2000-1: English Premier League – Coventry 1, Everton 3

2001-2: English Premier League – Everton 2, Southampton 0

2006-7: Scottish Premier League – Celtic 0, Rangers 1

2006-7: Scottish Premier League – Rangers 2, Celtic 0

2007-8: Scottish Premier League – Rangers 3, Celtic 0

2007-8: Scottish Premier League – Rangers 1, Celtic 0

TOTAL: Smith 8, Strachan 3, 1 Draw.

Commenting on this article has been suspended