THE chance to atone for their Hampden nightmare against Celtic will likely be a handy motivational factor for the Rangers players that take to the field at the home of their rivals this afternoon, but for many, it may also be their last chance to make their mark on the fixture.

Ibrox defender Russell Martin is under no illusions about the uncertainty of his own Rangers future, if he has one at all. The same goes for many of his team-mates.

So, if they want their place in Rangers history to amount to more than a footnote to one of the most embarrassingly one-sided Old Firm fixtures in living memory, then he says now is the time to grasp the opportunity.

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“I might only be here for another two-and-a-half weeks so to play in another Old Firm game gives me the chance to atone for the last one and I’m genuinely looking forward to it,” Martin said.

"I might not be back here next season so I want to go away from it with [a win]. [Graeme Murty's] got the same mentality, he said that this morning. He said, 'forget all the noise, I haven't been beaten there as a manager' and he doesn't want to change that.

“There's a lot of people for whom this could be their last Old Firm game because there could be a lot of change this summer at the club. We have to have that mentality, that we're going to go there and win, stop them winning the league, we'd be remembered for a long time. You have to think like that.

"I've said before I'd like to be here and I guess it depends what the manager is thinking. I think I've shown enough about the place. I'd like to have a full pre-season here. I'd like to have a steady partner for a while, like I had with [David] Bates for a bit. I'd love the opportunity to come back."

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Martin’s own part in the Hampden defeat hurt him deeply, as a poor clearance handed Celtic a killer second goal before half time. His experience has helped him to get over that though, and he has been helping young central defensive partner Ross McCrorie get through his own personal heartache after conceding a penalty and being ordered off early in the second period.

“For me personally it hurt a lot,” he said. “It was a difficult afternoon. I made a mistake for the second goal which was not nice in a game like that. But I’ve got to a point in my career where you reflect, analyse and after a couple of days it has to go. You have to move on. And learn from it, look forward to the next one.

“I said the same to Ross. After his sending off he was absolutely devastated. But he’ll learn from it. He’ll be better for it and you can guarantee on Sunday he’ll put in a performance that will show that."