Celtic's Neil Lennon expects players to be sensible against Rangers

It sometimes seems impossible that the intensity of Old Firm matches can increase with each passing one. As this Scottish campaign enters its final and crucial phase, however, the heat surrounding the country's biggest football game can surely only be on the up. Sunday's game marks the first of three remaining Glasgow derbies, with Celtic looking to prove something that has not been apparent in the Old Firm clashes that have taken place already this season. Namely, that home advantage counts. Rangers will return to Parkhead for a Scottish Cup replay on 2 March with the pair to meet once again after the Scottish Premier League undertakes its annual split. In short, a fixture that is routinely laced with more scrutiny than a modern-day politician's expenses claim is about to be cranked up further and further as the two major honours in the Scottish game come up for grabs. Neutral observers of the Old Firm game – if such a thing exists – can be heartened by the potential for colour. El Hadji Diouf and Scott Brown had a minor spat during the last meeting of Rangers and Celtic, with the Parkhead manager, Neil Lennon, also not known for his peacekeeping qualities in these encounters. Diouf's every move in Glasgow has been and will be focused upon, in what is merely the by-product of a bad reputation earned by the loanee from Blackburn Rovers during his years in England. The Rangers manager, Walter Smith, says he sees no need to take the Senegalese forward aside for specific behavioural discussion before today's clash, with Lennon similarly adamant that Brown, his captain, requires no calming chat. "I'm going to leave Scott to it," Lennon says. "There won't be any special advice. He knows there's a disciplinary line he can't cross and he fell well within the parameters of that in the last game. He knows he's got a responsibility to the team, but I won't have to speak to him about that, he knows that already." Lennon has, in fact, reiterated his belief that the characters of Brown, Diouf and any others who enter the Old Firm arena with an excitable nature should be welcomed. "We've probably been crying out for a few more personalities in the Old Firm fixture in the past few years and when we get them we try to make a big thing out of it," Lennon says. "I don't think there's anything wrong with it. I wasn't happy with some of the stuff that was said [by Diouf] after the last Old Firm game, but during it, it was good and spicy. "Scott enjoys the challenge and the banter, but while people talk about that side of his game, his football has been good, too. Every game is different, it throws up its own controversies. If I was a betting man, I would imagine it won't just be the football we're talking about after this one." Kris Commons appears a more placid sort than many who will take to the Parkhead pitch. The winger has proved a decent find since joining Celtic from Derby County last month. Rangers had believed they could coax Commons to Ibrox before being usurped by Celtic's wage offer. Commons was sacrificed by Lennon at Ibrox two Sundays ago after the sending-off of the Celtic goalkeeper Fraser Forster. By that juncture, though, the Scotland international had hauled Celtic back into the cup tie with a crisp goal. "Ideally you'd like to keep 11 men on the pitch," Lennon says. "It was a difficult decision to make, but unfortunately for Kris it was just how the coins fell that day. He has been great, he took it very well, in the manner we thought he would, and he's done very well. He's settled in very quickly, which is surprising really as it can be very traumatic moving mid-season, but he's done very well so far. "I think he's made a good impact already. He has certainly gained the respect of the players very quickly. It wasn't a hard decision to throw him in straight away, he'd been in good form for Derby and at 27 he's not a younger player either. He's quite experienced and we're very pleased with him so far."