JOE Garner has played in big derby matches before during his career.

The £1.5 million striker lined up for his beloved Preston North End against their fierce West Lancashire rivals Blackpool during his time at Deepdale.

He also experienced the intensity of the Nottingham Forest showdown with their hated East Midlands adversaries Derby County when he was at the City Ground.

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But the 28-year-old appreciates that no game he has been involved in past will compare to the madness of the world-famous Old Firm fixture.

Rangers will make the short journey to Parkhead to play Celtic on Saturday week and it promises to be, even by the standards of the Glasgow derby, a stormy encounter.

The Ladbrokes Premiership match will be the first time the two clubs have met in a league game since 2012.

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It is also the first time that they have done battle at one of their own stadiums in that time – they have clashed at Hampden in the League Cup and Scottish Cup semi-finals in the last two seasons.

On top of all that, the current form of Celtic and Rangers and the personnel who will be involved, both on the pitch and in the dugout, make this a fascinating meeting.

The Scottish champions have been lifted by the arrival of Brendan Rodgers as manager in the summer, qualified for the Champions League group stages and are a point clear at the top of the Premiership table with a game in hand.

The Championship winners have, despite bringing in Joey Barton, Joe Dodoo, Matt Gilks, Clint Hill, Lee Hodson, Niko Kranjcar and Jordan Rossiter in during the close season, been unconvincing.

Mark Warburton’s team have drawn two of their top flight games – including their last outing against Kilmarnock at Rugby Park last Friday night – and are being widely tipped to suffer a defeat in front of a capacity 60,000 crowd.

Yet, Garner, who made his debut for the Ibrox club down in Ayrshire, isn’t one to shy away from a challenge.

“The thought of being involved in an Old Firm game is definitely an appealing one,” he told SportTimes. “It is probably the biggest derby in the world. It is always one of the games that is spoken about.

“The game is coming up and the fans and the people around the city are all really looking forward to it. I’ve only been here for a short while, but already you can sense the excitement. As a player it is one of those games you have to strive to play in.

“I’ve never been to one before, but I have watched a lot of them on television over the years. Having said that, I know that playing in one will be a little bit different to watching one on the box.”

Garner added: “I have played in a few derby matches in England over the years. Probably the biggest game I have been involved in was the Nottingham Forest v Derby County game. That is one of the biggest local derbies down there.

“I also played in the Preston game against Blackpool which is a little bit tasty. But I don’t think it will be anything compared to the one up here. The rivalry here is second to one. I have heard stories about them and am looking forward to being a part of one.”

Garner has been brought in by Warburton to add a hard edge to the Rangers front line and the non-nonsense centre forward believes his uncompromising style of play will be ideally suited to the Old Firm game.

“Maybe I do offer something different,” he said. “I play with a little bit of a bite to my game. The gaffer has brought me in for a reason. Hopefully I can do a job for the team whenever I get selected. I am really looking forward to my time at Rangers. Playing against Celtic would be a great start.”

Rangers have arranged a friendly match against Linfield in Belfast on Saturday as Warburton is keen for his players to get some more game time before they square up to their city rivals for the first time in the 2016/17 campaign.

Barton, who missed the pre-season trip to the United States, and Kranjcar have both looked well short of match fitness in their appearances for the Ibrox club so far this season and that must be a worry for their manager ahead of the game against Celtic.

But Garner has, despite only being a member of the Rangers squad for little over a week, no concerns in that area having played three times for Preston before coming up to Scotland.

But he knows, with Kenny Miller, Martyn Waghorn and Dodoo all on the books, he isn't guaranteed a place in the team when Rangers take to the field at Celtic Park on Saturday week.

“I am fit and ready,” he said. “I know I might have to bide my time to get into the side. The lads have been doing really well this season. But I have been working hard in training since coming up here and signing for Rangers.”