Kenny Miller: Rangers must back up their words with actions against Celtic and prove their Premiership title credentials

Mark Warburton’s side head into the first Old Firm clash of the campaign a point adrift of Celtic in the top flight standings.

And Miller knows the Gers must start hitting the heights required if they are to bid for the silverware in the coming months.

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He said: “It can give you momentum. It is a huge, huge result for us in the context of us coming back up.

“We’ve done a lot of talking off the field about wanting to come up and put in a challenge because the demands of the club are such that nothing less is expected.

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“So you can do a lot of talking, but when you cross that white line, you need to back that up. This is an opportunity for us to do that.

“That (the chance to go top of the league) is the added incentive. There’s nothing better than relaxing back after a game and seeing yourselves top of the league. That’s another wee thing that goes into the mix.”

It has been a frustrating start to the season so far for Rangers as they have taken eight points from their first four Premiership outings in recent weeks.

Warburton’s side have yet to put together a complete performance on league duty but Miller reckons there would be no better time to hit top gear than at Parkhead today.

He said: “It gives you the opportunity [to kick-start your season].

“It gives you a chance to put behind you any kind of poor performance or poor result. It’s a chance to go out and show that we are capable.

“There’s no doubt that, within the four walls, we believe that. It’s about going out and actually performing.

“When you cross that white line, it’s about performing week in week out and showing that you are going to be capable of putting up a challenge. This game is a real chance to show that.”

Boss Warburton will hand derby debuts to a number of players this afternoon but the Englishman already has an Old Firm victory to his credit.

Miller was part of the side that beat Celtic in the Scottish Cup semi-finals last season and insists the Light Blues have a similar air of optimism this time around.

He said: “I do believe we have that bit of confidence about us.

“We know we are not playing as well as we would like but we have shown it in spells.

“This is a game which hopefully can bring the performance out of us because the signings we have made there is no doubt they have come here to play in this fixture, of this magnitude against their local rivals trying to win leagues and cups.

“This is the sort of fixture these guys are coming for. I really believe this is an opportunity for us to put a marker down.”