Stop Callum McGregor, stop Celtic.

It’s the same old simple theory and it feels as if it’s trotted out before every Old Firm derby these days. But it’s easier said than done. But very rarely have Rangers actually managed to find a way of doing it. Over six of these fixtures now Philippe Clement has tried about every trick in the managerial book. And he’s still searching for the right answer.

A variety of the Belgian’s players - from Todd Cantwell to Nedim Bajrami - have taken turns as man markers, deployed to shadow McGregor’s every move. In last month’s League Cup Final, Clement also attempted to throw a blue blanket around McGregor in an attempt to suffocate him and cut off his supply. And yet Celtic’s quick thinking, fleet footed skipper still found a way of wriggling out of it and getting his hands on the trophy.

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So this afternoon Clement and Rangers will go back to the drawing board and attempt to crack the same Calmac code all over again, as the Belgian attempts to keep himself in a job by winning one of these fixtures for the first time. I guess when you break it down like that then it is a backhanded compliment,” McGregor conceded somewhat reluctantly and with a hint of a blush.

He might well be the main man on derby day. But he’s way too modest to say so.

He went on: “For me, I just try and do what I can to help the team and make sure that we win the game. Sometimes that can be in a different fashion where you maybe don’t touch the ball so much but you’re trying to create space and move people about. We’ve got really good coaches and really good people in here that do understand the game and if something’s blocked we can change it and try and find a different solution.

“Obviously we’ll look at that as well in case that is the way forward. If you understand the game you realise that, at some point, you have to give up something. If you’re man-marking certain players then that means there has to be space somewhere else. It’s then about us bypassing that and finding a different solution. It’s the same in every game. There are teams in the league that will try and do certain things to stifle us, whether it be the build up or try and force the ball wide. It’s then about us trying to find a different scenario, a different way and a different solution.

“We’ve got good people in here that understand the game. We’ll be looking at the cup final as well. Rangers were pretty good in that mid-pitch block so we need to maybe find a different way of trying to exploit that. So, we understand the game’s always live and it’s changing and there’ll be certain people marked at different times in the game. It’s just then about us trying to find the spare player and play our way through the press.”

McGregor comes across as such a deep thinker that it’s almost as if he’s readying himself for a game of five dimensional chess rather than the hurley burly of derby day at Ibrox.

His intention is to ‘cut out the chaos’ which left the Premier Sports Cup final in the balance until Celtic clinched it from the penalty spot. That one was way too close for comfort.

This time around McGregor is hoping his side can keep the contest under a greater degree of control. And he has a plan for that too. After all these years, he knows precisely how to plot his way around this thunderous fixture.

McGregor continued: “When you experience something new in life obviously there is an anxiety, especially in big football matches. And, of course, when you haven’t experienced it before, then you’re sort of stepping into the unknown.

“The good thing about it is, all these years later, you know exactly what’s coming and you’re prepared for it. And then you just find a rhythm and a tempo to everything that you do that makes you in the best possible place for these games.

“So now I’m on the other side of that, it’s my job to try and help the players, keep everybody calm, keep us playing our football and keep us on the right track. So, with that time comes experience and hopefully as you mature then you get better and better.

“I actually really enjoy these games. They’re brilliant games to play in and they test you in so many different ways.

“And you have to win. So it tests your ultimate mentality as in the difficult moments you have to find a way and it’s not always pretty, it’s not always beautiful football.

“But you have to find a way. Sometimes in life not everything goes your way all the time so you have to dig in and find a result and I think this fixture is the ultimate test of that and your character.”

Even as he speaks, a couple of days ahead of kick-off, he’s beginning to slip into match day mode. McGregor is about to step back into the lions den.

He continues: “When we arrive in the stadium we understand everyone’s against us and it kind of helps the group a little bit where you have that siege mentality. It’s whatever you’ve got inside that dressing room, the 40 to 50 bodies that are working on the day. It’s us against them and you have to go and stand up and be counted and be there for each other.

“When you don’t have any supporters in the stadium then you feel even more responsibility to try and get a result for the guys that are watching either on the telly or wherever they are. So, sometimes you take a wee bit more pleasure in that as well. I do still get nervous ahead of this game. If you don’t have that feeling then there’s something wrong. I think having that butterflies feeling and being on edge a little bit about what can maybe happen keeps you competitive. It keeps you fired up for sure.”