Soccer

Celtic skipper Scott Brown free to face Rangers

Celtic's Moussa Dembele (10) celebrates victory with Scott Brown and goalkeeper Craig Gordon after the Ladbrokes Scottish Premiership match at the Tulloch Caledonian Stadium, Inverness on Wednesday March 1, 2017
Celtic's Moussa Dembele (10) celebrates victory with Scott Brown and goalkeeper Craig Gordon after the Ladbrokes Scottish Premiership match at the Tulloch Caledonian Stadium, Inverness on Wednesday March 1, 2017 Celtic's Moussa Dembele (10) celebrates victory with Scott Brown and goalkeeper Craig Gordon after the Ladbrokes Scottish Premiership match at the Tulloch Caledonian Stadium, Inverness on Wednesday March 1, 2017

Celtic skipper Scott Brown's Ross County red card has been downgraded to a yellow on appeal which frees him to play against Rangers on Saturday.

The Hoops midfielder was sent off against the Staggies on April 16th for a foul on Liam Boyce during the 2-2 Ladbrokes Premiership draw in Dingwall.

Brown's appeal allowed him to play in the 2-0 William Hill Scottish Cup semi-final win over the Light Blues at Hampden Park on Sunday.

And after a Scottish FA disciplinary tribunal met at Hampden today to consider his claim of wrongful dismissal, the appeal was upheld with the sending off reduced to a caution.

Brown will play in the Old Firm derby at Ibrox but the yellow card takes him over the disciplinary threshold which triggers a two-game suspension which means he will sit out the subsequent matches against St Johnstone and Aberdeen.

Rangers boss Pedro Caixinha has been forced to admit his side are living in Celtic's shadow - but he is determined to slash the gap separating the sides.

The new Ibrox manager says he cannot deny the Parkhead men are way out in front after coming up against Brendan Rodgers' rampant Hoops for the first time on Sunday.

A meek Gers line-up showed their bitter rivals far too much respect and were punished as Celtic strolled to a 2-0 win in the William Hill Scottish Cup semi-final at Hampden.

But his team will have one last chance to shoot down the Ladbrokes Premiership champions when they visit Govan on Saturday.

And Caixinha expects to see the passion he believes was missing at the National Stadium.

He said: "I'm assessing [the gulf between the clubs] and I'm working on a daily basis. It exists and I cannot deny it.

"But we want to reduce it and we are going to do it.

"It is not a question of time, though. It is a question of work, belief and commitment."

The treble-chasing Hoops have reigned supreme domestically and have enjoyed the whip hand over their Glasgow foes, winning four of the five derby clashes so far, with the other ending in a draw.

But Caixinha is refusing to write off his side's chances - and claims he would rather head home to Portugal than persist with a team he believed had no chance of success.

"The previous games belong to the past," he said at his pre-match press conference. "The present and the future will be on Saturday.

"If there was not confidence in the squad I would not be here facing you. I would not come before the match, for sure.

"If I don't believe we could do these things I would not show up. I would just resign and go home.

"On Sunday, we didn't have the passion in order to be committed enough to let the game flow.

"The [break down in communication] is what we analysed after the match and everything was clear.

"Am I confident that will be cleared up for Saturday? I'm always confident.

"Normally after a defeat I need one day to recharge my batteries, but after that I'm standing again to face whatever I need to face with a smile on my face.

"After the game, the players were the same as all the Rangers supporters - sad.

"We have had our setback but we have another match. We need to improve and put passion on the pitch in order to defend the colours of this club."