Scott Brown: Celtic Victory Over Rangers 'Changes the Game'

Former Celtic captain Scott Brown believes a victory for the Scottish champions against Rangers on Sunday would significantly alter the team's trajectory following a challenging week.

Brown highlighted the importance of winning the initial battle in the match. "Rangers were up for the fight," he stated on Sportsound. "The first 15 minutes, it should be a battle. If you can go and win that battle, you can get the ball down."

He noted that Celtic started too slowly in their recent match and need to return to fundamentals. "They need to go back to basics, make sure they've got the fight, make sure they've got the hunger because they've got the talent - I know they've got the talent."

Brown also pointed out that the team cannot rely solely on captain Callum McGregor. "Rangers got in their face, they blocked Callum McGregor off and as soon as you block Callum McGregor off and you man-mark Cal, it's hard for anyone else to go and dictate. That's when you need a [Benjamin] Nygren to drop under, a [Mika] Baur to go and drop under and them do their job as well. You can't always keep looking at Cal to do everything."

He stressed that having players like Sebastian Tounekti and James Forrest, who have been playing on the left flank in Yang Hyun-jun's absence due to Asian Games duty, step up is crucial. Brown concluded by emphasizing the high stakes, stating, "You cannot have just one of those days against your biggest rivals, ever."