JAMES TAVERNIER insists Rangers are getting closer to Old Firm rivals Celtic on the pitch as the Light Blues look to narrow the gap in the Premiership during the second half of the campaign.

Mark Warburton’s side return to action tomorrow when they face RB Leipzig in what will be their first outing since the Hogmanay defeat to the Hoops.

Celtic have won all three derby duels so far this season and are 19 points clear at the top of the Premiership standings.

But Tavernier reckons the Gers should take heart from their performance at Ibrox as they strive for further improvement in the coming months.

He said: “Whenever you lose an Old Firm game, it's not a great feeling. We're still disappointed about it.

“We felt we had chances to wrap up the points. Celtic finished strongly and managed to take one more opportunity than us.

“But we had plenty of chances to finish them off. Kenny (Miller) hit the post and we could have won it.

“It was disappointing but compared to where we were when we lost 5-1 at Parkhead – we've come on leaps and bounds since then.

“The gap has definitely shortened. We were only a step away from beating Celtic at Ibrox.

“At Celtic Park, it was Brendan Rodgers' first Old Firm game and you could tell that by their tempo. They were right at it.

“But we've almost turned the tables now. We'll continue to try and close the gap but we feel we're definitely doing that.”

Rangers went into the Ibrox showdown with a point to prove after successive defeats to Rodgers’ side but couldn’t make it third time lucky this term.

Miller put the Light Blues ahead early on but goals from Moussa Dembele and Scott Sinclair won it for Celtic as they stretched their advantage at the top of the table.

A defensive mix-up between Clint Hill and Tavernier allowed Sinclair to convert the winner but the right-back is pleased with his showings against the Parkhead winger this term.

He said: “In the first game at Parkhead, I felt I did really well against Sinclair.

“At Hampden in the League Cup semi-final, I was playing at right-wing. And at Ibrox in the last game, I was at wing-back so pushed on a bit more.

“I was concentrating on Celtic's left-back so Sinclair was behind me quite often. So I haven't really had a full game up against him.

“But he's a top player for them, he's played at the highest level in England. Once he gets going with the ball, he's difficult to defend against but you have to try and stop him.

“He's one of the toughest wingers I've played against. He's got great close control and they're the tricky ones because they change direction so quickly.

“But I want to test myself against the best players because it'll make me better. He's probably the best winger in this league.”

With Celtic storming towards six-in-a-row this season, it is the race to be best of the rest behind the Hoops that Rangers must win this term.

And Tavernier is confident Warburton’s side are on the right track ahead of the Scottish Cup clash with Motherwell next weekend.

He said: “Our aim for the rest of the season is just to cement second place in the league and get closer to Celtic.

“Getting second is the minimum requirement and we've spoken about that.

“Celtic got off to a flier and have a terrific points tally. But we need to do our best to shorten that gap and ensure we qualify for Europe.

“We felt we got closer to them at Ibrox and I expect more improvement the next time we play them at their place.

“We'll have a point to prove going there in March after what happened last time.

“With the new additions we feel closer. The gap is definitely getting smaller and we want to show that at Celtic Park.”

*On Thursday, 26 January, Rangers will host the official 2017 Burns Supper at the Radisson Blu Hotel in Glasgow. Fans can book now to enjoy an evening in the company of fellow Burns fans and Rangers figures past and present. Tickets priced at £89* + VAT per person or £850 + VAT for a table of 10. Supporters can book online at www.rangers.co.uk, call 0871 702 1972 or email events@rangers.co.uk