Is Ryan Naderi Playing Today for Rangers vs. Celtic?

Rangers gear up to take on Celtic in the second Glasgow derby of the month as they look to close the five-point gap between themselves and their cross-town rivals

The Gers will certainly go into tonight's game with higher confidence levels than before last weekend's League Cup clash at Ibrox, where they picked up a dominant 3-0 victory over the Celts to qualify for the semi-finals of the tournament.

However the Light Blues will have to get through the entire 90 minutes without the support of their fans at Celtic Park just as their rivals did at Ibrox last Sunday.

On top of that, Derek McInnes might have to go into the game without some of his top performers this campaign, as the Rangers manager recently mentioned Ryan Naderi, Tuur Rommens and another unnamed player as doubtful (h/t Glasgow Times) for Sunday's clash against the Celts.

Amid Lawrence Shankland, Youssef Chermiti and Daisuke Yokota's absence, Naderi's injury could turn out to be big blow for the Gers this evening.

The 23-year-old center-forward has already packed up a total of three goals and three assists for the Teddy Bears this season, including a crucial winner against Motherwell and the headed assist which he provided to Kevin Kelsy against the Hoops during their League Cup clash.

Naderi missed the Gers' training session on Friday due to an ankle injury which he sustained against the Celts following Mika Baur's high footed challenge which the Celtic midfielder evaded a booking.

Naderi missed Friday's training session after sustaining an ankle injury against the Celts, following a high-footed challenge from Mika Baur that somehow went unpunished.

The German born forward is seemingly having a tough weekend, as along with his recent injury, Naderi might also have to wait to play for the Czech Republic national side due to a recent red tape.

Naderi's presence is also crucial for McInnes's game-plan to succeed, as the 23-year-old's contribution to the team's high-press system at times has been commendable.

Given the recent circumstances, it looks unlikely that Naderi will start the game; however, he could come on as a second-half substitute depending on the match situation.

As a result, McInnes might have already devised a starting lineup for tonight's game without Naderi in it, but Old Firm clashes have never failed to surprise us in the past as we wait for the official starting lineups to be announced.

Despite the Gers' recent injury woes, the Celts are certainly not the clear favourites going into the game following their recent defeat to Ferencvaros in the Europa League.

Nonetheless, today's Glasgow derby is expected to be another nail-biter, unlike the one-sided victory for the Light Blues last Sunday.