Derek McInnes knows a thing or two about Rangers vs Aberdeen having both played in the powder keg fixture for the Ibrox men and been manager at Pittodrie. 

And the Killie boss feels the physical nature and speed of the match means that Giovanni van Bronckhorst may sorely miss midfield maestro Joe Aribo. 

The Nigerian is currently starring in the AFCON and although he’s known for his silky qualities, it’s the absence of his near 6ft 3” frame that McInnes feels may be most keenly felt. 

McInnes told the Mail on Sunday: "This one will be blood and thunder from the start and I can tell you it never really lets up. 

"It's a game for big players and I do think the absence of Joe Aribo, currently competing for Nigeria at the Africa Cup of Nations, will be a miss for Rangers. 

"When the league broke, I named Aribo as the Premiership's best player in the first half of the season and, if anything, he has got even better since the change of manager. 

"Rather than playing as a midfield receiver, he has been given license to go and make runs beyond. He is running into grass behind defences and that's made him very hard to contain. 

"But he has other attributes that would make him tailor-made for this match. There are certain games where physicality is important, a lot of fouls and set-plays. 

"You need players capable of standing up to that and so size and power is important. 

"Aribo has that and, while Rangers will manage to get by without him in other games, his influence might be missed this week."