CONNOR GOLDSON insists Rangers won't head to Parkhead with a swagger on Sunday despite bidding for a third Old Firm win of the campaign over Celtic.
Steven Gerrard's side wrapped up the Premiership title earlier this month and will now travel across Glasgow as champions for the first time in a decade as they seek to maintain their unbeaten league run this term.
Goldson scored twice at Parkhead in October before a Callum McGregor own goal proved decisive in January and Rangers took a huge step towards clinching the title at Ibrox.
"No, not at all," Goldson said when asked if Rangers will have a swagger going into a match that could give them a third derby win of the campaign.
"An Old Firm is an Old Firm. I think when Celtic were champions I remember they came to our place and we won 2-0.
"Anything can happen in an Old Firm game and we know that both teams will be 100 per cent at it and 100 per cent up for it.
"We go there as champions for the first time and we need to stamp our authority on the fixture as we have for the last few games and make sure that we are victorious.
"We know how much it means to our fans and how much it means to the whole team and the whole group internally in this building. I don’t think we can go there with a swagger at all.
"I think that would be really disrespectful, we know they are a good team and if we go there with that attitude we will let ourselves down."
Goldson has been part of some memorable Old Firm wins during his three years at Ibrox but there is a unique feeling around this fixture now that the title has been secured at long last.
The Scottish Cup has now become the main aim for Rangers in the coming weeks but Goldson knows the derby days are still significant and that they perhaps sum up the progression that Gerrard's side have made in recent seasons.
Goldson said: "I think when I joined the football club, the message from every fan that I met was to please beat Celtic. It is the biggest fixture in Scotland and it was about winning that one game.
"We have turned that around this season to winning the whole season and no matter what happens in the Old Firms, you still have another 34 fixtures to play and you have to be successful in every other fixture as well.
"That is the mentality that I have seen change this season. Whenever we have beaten them in the past, we seem to be in a bit of a slump after that game and on too much of a high.
"Whereas this season I feel like after we have beaten them we have managed to win a number of games after it, which has really propelled us this season and helped us to win the league."
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