Rab Douglas admits he would be SHOCKED to see this month's Old Firm derby go ahead.

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon hinted this week that the Scottish government would seek assurances before giving the green-light for the big game on March 21 to go ahead as scheduled.

It comes following Rangers fans in their thousands ignoring strict social distancing protocols and Covid safety rules by descending on both Ibrox and then George Square to celebrate their club winning their first Scottish Premiership title in 10 years.

Douglas, meanwhile, fears the risk of fans congregating outside Celtic Park would be too great and suggests the game could well be scrapped to ensure more further virus breakouts are kept to a minimum.

Writing in his Courier column, the retired goalkeeper said: "It feels like we’ve been talking about the possibility of Rangers sealing the title against Celtic for months. In the end, they got the job done a game early. The scenes that followed, with Gers fans gathering in Glasgow to celebrate, were extremely disappointing.

"And that’s why I’d be very surprised if the Celtic v Rangers game scheduled for a week on Sunday goes ahead. For me, the risk involved in letting the game take place, whether it’s fans gathering at Celtic Park or somewhere else in Glasgow, looks too great. The league is won. So why take that risk?

"We’ve been battling away for a year as a country to keep Covid-19 under control. We’re now getting to a stage, with vaccinations starting to reach more of the population, where it feels like there’s maybe a bit of light at the end of the tunnel.

"I wouldn’t be surprised if the Scottish Government look at the situation last weekend and decide they won’t allow another potential flashpoint match to take place – particularly now the result doesn’t count for anything other than pride. I’m not a politician or a top policeman – who will obviously also take a view on the upcoming game – or anything like that.

"But I’m a citizen – and I’ll be disappointed if the title celebrations have set us back. We’re still in the middle of lockdown. We’re still in the middle of a pandemic. It’s not like we’re not getting any new cases. It’s not like people aren’t still dying.

"All of that has to be taken into account."