Former Rangers captain Terry Butcher believes Wednesday's Old Firm clash at Parkhead could be ferocious.

Rangers carry a four-point lead over Celtic into the Clydesdale Bank Premier League match, and also have two games in hand.

They have not lost to any domestic opponents since October, and have beaten Celtic in four successive derbies since manager Walter Smith returned to Ibrox in January last year.

Butcher told BBC Radio Scotland: "Rangers' unbeaten run has gone on for months and months now and it's something that you get on to and you don't want to surrender, particularly to your greatest rivals."

The Scotland assistant boss added: "Rangers will want to make sure that Celtic don't get anything past them tonight.

"It's going to be an intriguing game and it's not going to be for the faint-hearted."

Butcher expects Rangers to stick by the 4-5-1 formation which has served them well in crunch matches this season.

Smith's tactics have prompted criticism from Celtic striker Georgios Samaras, who claimed Rangers "don't try to play football".

But Butcher said: "It think it's worked very well for him [Smith] home and away, particularly away from home in Europe.

"It's not as if Rangers will be treating this like a European tie, they certainly won't, but they'll be going out to make sure Celtic don't score.

"They haven't scored in the four games since Walter Smith's been back in the Old Firm derbies and they don't want that to start now."

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