THE Premiership title may have been wrapped up by Rangers last month and the final Old Firm game of the season at Ibrox on Sunday might be meaningless for Celtic.

But Scott McDonald, who was involved in numerous epic tussles between the Glasgow giants during his three years at Parkhead, expects the match in Govan this weekend to be every bit as incendiary as a league decider.

He believes that John Kennedy’s team will be determined to defeat Steven Gerrard’s side – and deny them the chance to go unbeaten in the top flight for the first time in 122 years and become “Invincibles”. 

However, the ex-Australia striker also thinks the likes of Kristoffer Ajer, Odsonne Edouard, Leigh Griffiths, Callum McGregor and Tom Rogic will be desperate for Scott Brown to savour success in his final Glasgow derby match.

Captain and central midfielder Brown will move on to Aberdeen in the summer after 14 trophy-laden seasons at Celtic and McDonald knows his old team mate will want to bow out with one last win against Rangers.   

“We are in a position now it’s not a league decider and it’s not on form,” he told Mark Wilson on the Celtic Huddle podcast yesterday.

“Basically, Scott is a natural leader and I don’t think at the moment anyone would grudge Scott playing in this game and it would be a great fitting moment if he was to get a victory at Ibrox in his last ever game.

“So I think everyone would be 100 per cent behind Scott to play this game — fans, supporters, the club. It’s a stick-on. It will mean a lot for him to go out with a victory. He will be emotionally charged for this.

“There’s no better team talk for John Kennedy to speak about Scott Brown at the weekend, about what he means to the club, what he means to those players in there and doing that job for him come the weekend because it’s his last game against Rangers.

“I think they will be motivated and charged correctly for this one. Everyone says it’s a dead rubber but for a lot of reasons it’s not. For Rangers the unbeaten run, for Celtic it being Scott Brown’s last game. The game will still have a really good edge to it.

“It’s a free hit for Celtic. People will say there’s not much to play for but there is. Rangers are still unbeaten this season and there’s no way Celtic players, staff or fans want Rangers to finish this season unbeaten. So it’s a big game for Celtic.”

McDonald, though, believes that Celtic caretaker Kennedy has to change his formation, abandon his midfield diamond and start, if he is fit, James Forrest out wide if Brown is to enjoy a win at Ibrox in his final Old Firm match.

He fears their current system gives Gerrard’s full-backs James Tavernier and Borna Barisic too much space to get forward and wreak havoc on the counter attack.

“The best performances Celtic have had have been when they have gone back to their normal 4-3-3, or 4-2-3-1 if you like,” said McDonald. “Hopefully James Forrest can be fit because he is so vital to that system and they’ve really missed him in that system this season.

“Neil (Lennon) did well at the back end of last season with a 3-5-2, but they began the season like that and it just did not work. It wasn’t flowing like it was the previous season, and then they lost the first Old Firm game and the pressure is on and then they start dropping points.

“I think the best two performances against Rangers have been in a 4-3-3. If it was me that’s what I would be suggesting for the weekend.”

Speaking to the Celtic Huddle podcast, he added: “I watched the first Celtic v Rangers match of the season and Celtic played a back three and it was so frustrating to watch. There was no width in the game for Celtic. Celtic’s strength is out in those areas, but they gave Rangers that area to explore.

“It was exactly the same in the first game of the season at Celtic Park when they had wing backs and they got overawed by Rangers’ width and they got destroyed.

“Celtic kept trying to go through the middle and Rangers were very comfortable with that. They were happy for Celtic to try and penetrate through those central areas. It’s when you go wide against Rangers that’s where the difficulties come for them, I believe.

“We know that’s their strength with Barisic and Tavernier so you need to fight the fight similar and I think Celtic with the players they have in attacking areas can hurt Rangers.

“You’ve got (Ryan) Christie and (David) Turnbull but if Forrest is fit I would play Forrest in this game. It’s the biggest game of the season and with him running at players, it just gives you a plan B. You do need impact players as well.”

However, McDonald, whose goals helped Celtic to win the Premiership in 2008, suspects his former club will face a Rangers’ backlash at Ibrox on Sunday following their Scottish Cup quarter-final penalty shoot-out defeat to St Johnstone at the weekend.   

“If you are Steven Gerrard you are not going to allow that, are you?” he said. “He will be absolutely livid about going out of the cup especially in the manner that they did.

“He even said it himself at the weekend that one trophy out of nine for his reign there is just not good enough. They will be desperate to finish the season on a high and that means finishing the season unbeaten. There’s no more motivation needed for those players or for Steven Gerrard.

“Sometimes you wonder if it’s more from a fans’ perspective or a manager’s perspective that the unbeaten run matters than to the players. They have done what they set out to achieve already and that was stopping Celtic winning 10-in-a-row.

“But the game is at Ibrox and that’s extra motivation for them. I think they will be more than up for the game and if they were to win they would think they are more or less over the line in terms of being unbeaten for the season.”