Arthur Numan reckons Scott Brown will be angling for a wind up in this weekend’s Old Firm clash and his hoping Rangers’s new recruits don’t take the bait.

A raft of Pedro Caixinha’s summer signings will be getting a first taste of the fevered contest with city rivals Celtic at Ibrox on Saturday and Numan insists the key for the Gers will be to keep a lid on the Latin temperament in the heat of the battle.

The Dutchman said: “Celtic have Scott Brown in midfield and he’s an experienced player who knows exactly what to do against Rangers so it’s important for the Rangers players to keep calm and stay focused.

“They must not take the bait and get involved, especially the Latin American players who tend to have that passion.

“I went this year to the South American Youth Championship in Ecuador and you could see the mentality of the players from all the countries. They have this ‘go for it’ attitude and a winning mentality which is sometimes missing in Holland, for example.

“But they will need to control it, especially with Scott Brown on the park. He has the same winning mentality – just like Barry Ferguson and Neil Lennon in my day – and you need that in your team. He has the passion and he can fire up the opposition.

“The most important thing is that they don’t lose their mind. I remember in the last game Myles Beerman conceded a penalty early on. He was maybe too focused and that can lead to mistakes and cost you the game. Rangers will have a lot of Old Firm debutants, a bit like my first derby.”

Numan savoured his encounters with old foes Celtic during his five-year stint in Govan even if his debut in this barnstorming Glasgow gathering was a 5-1 reversal.

Caixinha’s last outing against Celtic was also a damaging 5-1 thumping in the league last season and the Rangers gaffer remains under intense scrutiny ahead of this testing tussle with the all-conquering Hoops.

Despite bringing in a battalion of players who may not yet fully understand the intense rivalry, Numan insists that Caixinha won’t have to say much in the dressing room to rally his troops.

He added: “Sometimes you don’t need to give a team talk in these games because you know all about the opposition.

“You know who you are going to play against. I knew I was facing Sutton, Hartson and Larsson so you don’t need a team talk – it’s about how you play yourself.

“It will be a difficult game for Rangers but they have to focus on their own game and not think about Celtic.

“The 5-1 defeat at Ibrox in April means they are focused on getting a result but most importantly they must believe in themselves.

“They will have the fans behind them and from the first whistle they must be focused on their own game and not Celtic. A lot of the players are new so they won’t know what it means to be involved in an Old Firm game.

“I’ve said before I didn’t understand it until the build-up in the press and people approaching you while you were doing your shopping and you realise what it means to the people.

“Celtic’s unbeaten run is unbelievable. You would think they would have an off day or the coach would rest players but the others who have come in have been motivated to say they’re worth a first team place.

“If Rangers were to win this game and end Celtic’s run, whoever scores the winning goal will get a golden statue in front of the stadium.”

*Arthur Numan was speaking at a William Hill media event. William Hill is a proud sponsor of Scottish football.