Rangers left-back Borna Barisic has been ruled out for two weeks with an ankle injury and will miss the Old Firm clash on Sunday, according to the Scottish Sun.
Barisic picked up the injury on international duty for Croatia in the surprise 2-1 defeat against Hungary on Sunday night.
Crotatia had taken the lead but were undone by two goals from the home side – Barisic came off in the 30th minute with Croatia winning 1-0.
Barisic’s scan results showed that it was the same ankle injury that has troubled him before and he was quoted in the Scottish Sun as saying, “It’s the same injury I had before on my left leg and I will miss a minimum of two weeks.
“I’m sorry that I will have to skip the big derby with Celtic. Unfortunately, it’s not the first time I have had to miss the biggest match in Scotland either.”
OPINION
This is a big blow to Rangers ahead of a game they’re desperate to win to claw back some pride in the league. The left-back position has been problematic for Steven Gerrard, with Barisic missing a chunk of the season with injury, and Jon Flanagan not performing well out of position. It will mean that Andy Halliday will probably get the nod for Sunday’s Old Firm game. The good news is that he played there in the 1-0 win at Ibrox against Celtic – a game that Barisic also missed through injury. It should be a fascinating game on Sunday. Rangers have to go for the win to have even a slim chance of catching Celtic in the league – a cause that many people see as hopeless already. Even if that is the case, a first league win at Celtic Park since 2010 would give Steven Gerrard immense pride and a foundation on which to build for next season.