Celtic and the Rangers will face each other for the first time this season this weekend when they take to the Ibrox pitch for the quarter-final of the League Cup.

It is safe to say that Celtic will fancy their chances following a perfect start to their domestic season. But at the same time, form often goes out of the window when it comes to the Glasgow Derby.

Of course, Celtic are the team to beat when it comes to Scottish football. While the Rangers supporter might not want to admit that, Derek McInnes seems to be very clear about that.

According to the Daily Record, McInnes said: “We recognise Celtic are a good team who have been the main title winners and the team that's picked up more trophies than any other club in recent years.

"We just want to make sure that we give ourselves a chance to be relevant domestically again in terms of winning trophies and Sunday gives us a chance to take a step towards that.”

That is a very honest admission on the part of McInnes. Not many would have seen that coming leading up to the Glasgow Derby.

Celtic have most definitely been the team to beat in Scotland for quite some time now. After all, they have won 14 out of the last 15 title races. That is a step beyond dominance. It has been completely one-sided.

Last season, McInnes was a whisker away from winning a league title race against Celtic, unexpected as Hearts' manager. Ultimately though, he fell short.

It is safe to say that Celtic fans will have enjoyed McInnes' admission. That would not have been the reaction of the Rangers' supporters though.

But that does not mean that it is not true, because it very much is. That being said, it won't mean much when the two teams face each other at Ibrox this weekend.

It remains to be seen if Celtic are able to put their best foot forward at Ibrox this weekend. But one would give them a fair chance of doing so.

To be honest, the fans would have been hoping for a bit more from Celtic in the previous game against St Johnstone. But ultimately, they got the job done.

If that turns out to be the case at Ibrox, it would be enough. Of course, you can never discount the Rangers in their own backyard.

But this seems far from the strongest Rangers team. McInnes is already under immense pressure and those comments would not have made things any easier.

If his side goes on to lose this weekend, one can expect both sets of fans to bring up these comments once again in the aftermath, for very different reasons.