Celtic have enough reason to be confident about the club's chances of getting a result away at Ibrox in the League Cup quarter-final this weekend.

After all, the Hoops have been perfect to start off their domestic campaign. The only blip on their overall record is that nightmare 5-1 second leg defeat against LASK, which knocked them out of the qualifiers despite winning the first leg at home by a 3-0 scoreline.

If Celtic can get a win away at Ibrox this weekend, it would go a long way in healing the wounds of that play-off exit.

Then again, form often goes out the window when it comes to the Glasgow Derby. There is no doubt that the Rangers have struggled to start off the campaign. But Celtic cannot rely on that.

Interestingly, though, it does not sound like Rangers' boss, Derek McInnes, is particularly confident going into the derby either.

Speaking ahead of the Glasgow Derby, McInnes has admitted: "You’re not going to play Celtic and dominate for 90 minutes. It's important we tap into having 50,000 behind us."

McInnes also said about his targets: "Make sure we give ourselves a chance to be relevant domestically again in terms of winning trophies."

Those are very realistic comments regarding the situation. But at the same time, they do not sound like something that would come from a Rangers manager right ahead of a derby. A lot of the time, it is about playing it up for the stands.

Naturally, Celtic fans view it as a sign of doubt on the part of McInnes, who has struggled to produce consistent performances and results since joining as Rangers boss.

One Celtic fan wrote: "He doesn't sound too confident and sounds awful worried about Celtic."

Another said: "Setting out his stall... everyone behind the ball play for a breakaway goal."

At the end of the day, it won't matter much what is being said before the derby. What matters most is the result on the day.

If Celtic end up winning, the pressure will further increase on McInnes, who has already lost a good section of the Rangers support after they failed to qualify for any European competition this time around.

On the other hand, if it is the Rangers who end up pulling off a win in front of their home fans, which is very much a possibility, it would raise question marks about this Celtic team and their ability to deliver under pressure.

It is impossible to predict how this one will play out. That being said, if you ask me, one has to give a slight edge to Celtic, even though it is the Rangers who have the home advantage.

It is also worth mentioning that the two teams will meet again next weekend, at Parkhead in the Premiership.