Brendan Rodgers has insisted there is nothing new for him in walking into a lion’s den.

The Celtic manager will be assured of a warm welcome at Ibrox this afternoon, a ground he has never stepped foot in before today, but having run a gauntlet of hostility during his time at Swansea and Liverpool, he is unfazed at what will lie in wait.

“It will be a new experience and I’m really looking forward to it,” said Rodgers. “It should be a great atmosphere and great intensity in the game, so we’re looking forward to it.

“They are always intense games, the game goes very quickly and obviously there’s big energy in them.

“I had a Swansea-Cardiff game and those are old school derbies. Lots of history between those two cities.

“The Goodison one is very intense. The idea is that you stay as calm as you possibly can, that you control your feelings, that you try and find a solution for the pressures of the game.

“I’m looking forward to it. I’ve never been to Ibrox before, like I said, although I’ve seen it and watched it many times before on the telly. I’m sure the welcome won’t be as nice as when we come to Parkhead, but so be it. We’ll deal with it.

“The rivalry between the cities of Swansea and Cardiff really is intense.

“I think our game was a 1pm kick-off, but the buses were leaving from Swansea at 9am. Now, it’s only a half hour up the road — but it was to ensure that everyone got there safe.”

It is the first time Celtic will be at Ibrox since Rangers were liquidated in 2012 and given the 16-point gap at the top of the table there will be little pressure on the Parkhead side to get a result.

Regardless, though, of what happens over the course of the 90 minutes, Rodgers has called upon both sets of supporters to back their team but leave any lingering resentments in the stadium.

The police have already visited both Lennoxtown and Murray Park to offer notice of the responsibilities each set of players and coaches holds, a routine visit ahead of games of this magnitude but a sobering reminder nonetheless.

“This will be a game where both sets of supporters will have big passion for their teams,” said the Celtic manager. “I’m really looking forward to the atmosphere at Ibrox. They will really get behind their team and that’s the way it should be.

“Our support certainly provide that in every game we play, wherever it is.

“That’s what you want.

“And after 90 minutes you’ll go away and get on with your life and talk about the game.

“I don’t need to lecture any supporters, in particular my own, but you want your supporters to be passionate, you want them to make as much noise as they possibly can and be vocal in their support and you want to always make it difficult for the opponent.

“But, irrespective of the result, you move into your normal life again and you move on and you mix together and you live your life together. There is no problem having a Celtic supporter who is passionate about his team and a Rangers supporter who is also passionate about his team.

“That is what you want. But we have to live together and work our lives together. That is what is important.”