Celtic will be looking to put the disappointments of the past week behind them when they welcome the Rangers to Parkhead this weekend for the first league Glasgow Derby of the campaign.

While it might be the first one in the Premiership, the two sides have already met this season. Celtic lost 3-0 at Ibrox at the hands of the Rangers last weekend and were knocked out of the League Cup, ending treble hopes once again.

Celtic now need to bounce back. But unfortunately, after the form they have showcased over the past few weeks, ever since that 5-1 defeat at the hands of LASK, the fans won't be particularly confident going into the matchup.

Also, Derek McInnes' comments leading up to the derby might build some pressure on the refereeing team as well, with John Beaton set to be the man with the whistle.

McInnes has a lot to be happy about right now. But heading into the Glasgow Derby, the Rangers manager chose to talk about a situation from the previous meeting between the two sides.

It involved a challenge from Mika Baur, which is believed to have injured Ryan Naderi, although the extent of the matter is unclear. He could still play this weekend. 

VAR had not intervened on that occasion. According to The Scottish Sun, McInnes said about the matter when asked if he’d approached the SFA seeking clarity:

“I haven’t, but the club has. 

“Jim Gillespie spoke to Willie Collum in the SFA about it. 

“I’m really not happy with the challenge, but I’m not going to get caught up in referee chat. 

“I’m surprised that the referee wasn’t asked to look at that. 

“I find it strange that he wasn’t. Ryan’s ankle’s a mess. It was a mess. 

“It was a poor challenge.

“Sometimes these challenges can happen, but it didn’t look great, to be honest. 

“Ryan is one of two players who’s a wee bit of doubt for the game on Sunday. 

“I don’t want to get bogged down in referee chat, to be honest."

While McInnes mentions more than once that he does not want to get caught up in the refereeing chat, he does elaborate on the matter quite a bit.

And going into such a big game, that could end up having an impact on how the match is refereed. It certainly puts some pressure on the officials.

Another thing that becomes clear from McInnes' comments is that the Rangers have made official contact regarding the matter.

Celtic cannot spend much time worrying about what has been done or said leading up to the Glasgow Derby.

They have plenty of other problems to worry about. And Martin O'Neill needs to figure out a way to get a result in this game.

Celtic simply cannot lose three important matches within the space of a week. That could dent the team's confidence beyond repair and completely derail the season.

On the other hand, it does not take long for momentum to shift in football. If Celtic can find a way to win this Glasgow Derby, they could be able to turn things around pretty quickly.