Rangers Can Upset Celtic - McLeish

Photo by Jeff Holmes Former Rangers boss Alex McLeish has told the current Ibrox team to copy the example set by Bradford and Middlesbrough as they set out to stun Celtic. Kenny McDowall's Scottish Championship side are as long as 6-1 with the bookmakers ahead of next Sunday's Scottish League Cup semi-final clash. It is doubtful the odds have ever been stacked so high against one side going into an Old Firm encounter. But McLeish insists the Light Blues can topple their fiercest rivals and urged them to use the same self-belief which helped both the Bantams and Boro inflict their respective shock FA Cup upsets on Chelsea and Manchester City at the weekend. The Genk boss - who won eight of the 20 Old Firm games he bossed between 2001 and 2006 - said: "Normally Celtic should win because of the difference in quality. But it's a cup tie and an Old Firm game. Rangers will probably raise their game big time. "We've seen the big FA Cup upsets in England over the weekend. There is no reason why Rangers can't do that. "You have to believe. There is no point going out onto the pitch thinking: 'I'm intimidated. I'm overawed by this.' "You have to go there and give everything - perhaps even a couple of per cent that isn't in your make-up consistently. "For this game, I'd like to think they will step up. If Rangers get everything right tactically, they can upset Celtic." And McLeish believes old-stagers like Lee McCulloch and Kenny Miller will be vital to the Ibrox cause as they take on the Hoops at Hampden. Seven of the current Light Blues crop - McCulloch, Miller, Steven Smith, Lee Wallace, Richard Foster, Kyle Hutton and Kris Boyd - have tasted Old Firm action before, just one fewer than Celtic can boast. "The important players for Rangers next week are going to be the experienced players," said former Scotland boss McLeish, who was back at Ibrox on Sunday as he managed a team of retired Rangers players in Fernando Ricksen's charity match. "Those lads will be key. They could be the catalyst for an upset. "Because it is Rangers, we all think they should still be able to beat Celtic. But you have to be realistic. "At the same time, it's a great chance for these boys to get their names in the history books."