Gary Caldwell insists Saturday will not be judgement day for Celtic's SPL title hopes - and says they could bounce back from defeat at Rangers.Hoops defender Caldwell stressed Celtic's three-in-a-row dream would remain alive even if Rangers were to win Saturday's Old Firm derby in the SPL.

The two-time defending league champions approach the game knowing they have the chance to leapfrog their great rivals on goal difference, albeit with Walter Smith's side having a game in hand.

Victory for Rangers, however, would stretch their lead over Gordon Strachan's men to a commanding six points and hinder the chances of Celtic carrying off league honours for the third season in a row.

But centre-back Caldwell, who partnered Hoops team-mate Stephen McManus in Scotland's 1-1 draw with Croatia last night, does not accept that an Ibrox defeat would effectively hand Rangers the title.

"No, I don't think so," he said.

"There are a lot of games to play and there are still two Old Firm games at Parkhead remaining.

"It's going to be an exciting race and Saturday is going to be a big game.

"It is always important to win when you play for Celtic and in the Old Firm games especially, that's where you will be judged as a Celtic player."

Celtic will be left empty-handed if they miss out on the SPL title, while Rangers, who already have the CIS Insurance Cup, are pushing for four trophies with the UEFA Cup and Scottish Cup still in their sights.

Caldwell said: "We have to cut the gap and put the pressure on, so we are looking forward to it and I'm sure we will be going all out to win the game.

"If things change during the game then you have to adapt, but we want to win and keep the pressure on."

Caldwell believes Burley's first game as Scotland manager provided plenty of positives ahead of the World Cup qualifiers which begin early next season, not least that the squad could withstand the loss of seven injured players in the lead-up.

The former Hibernian player said: "We played well, especially in the first half, and to get a draw against a side like Croatia is a great start for us and George.

"They are a very good team, they proved that in their qualifiers for the European Championships so it was a good result.

"We had chances in the second half and we could have got the winner but a draw is a positive result and something we can build on in the future.

"We also showed that we have a lot strength in depth in the squad.

"There are a lot of young players who are pushing for the squad and that can only be good.

"If there are call-offs in the future then we have players who can come in and do as well as they did against Croatia."

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