CELTIC and Rangers both enter the second half of the season with unbeaten records in the league.

And it will be interesting to see in the months ahead if they can continue to avoid defeat in the SPFL Premiership and League One respectively.

Both clubs have far superior quality and strength in depth to their opponents in the top flight and the third tier.

It is not inconceivable Celtic and Rangers could complete their league commitments without experiencing defeat.

But I have commentated on games involving both halves of the Old Firm in the last few weeks and have been struck by something.

If a rival team approaches a match in the right way then they have every chance of claiming the scalp of one of the Glasgow giants.

Essentially, they have to get right in their faces in order to pull off an upset.

That is what Hibs did in the only game that Celtic have failed to win away from home in nine outings in the league this season at Easter Road back in October.

And it is certainly the way that Airdrie played in their showdown with Rangers at the Excelsior Stadium on Thursday.

I was covering that game this week for BT Sport and thought Airdrie did not hold back from kick-off to the final whistle. It was a very uncomfortable evening for Rangers fans, in the second 45 minutes especially, and Airdrie very nearly got a draw.

The tactics that teams playing the Old Firm clubs adopt are crucial. It seems to me that sitting off both teams is fatal.

I was at the Inverness Caledonian Thistle match against Celtic and felt that they did that and paid the price.

Letting Celtic and Rangers have the ball is inviting them to score a goal. And, when that happens, invariably there is no way back.

I thought there was a distinct hard edge to Inverness. They needed to noise up the Parkhead club far more than they did. They paid the penalty for that.

I think teams need to throw caution to the wind a bit more when they play Celtic or Rangers, and even run the risk of picking up yellow cards.

It is certainly what Hibs did - ironically under their now former manager Pat Fenlon -when they drew in the capital a few months ago.

AND Hibs are the only team who have been able to take points off Celtic at their own ground this season.

Now I would never advocate teams taking a reckless approach to any game because there is a happy medium to be struck. I would not condone a player going out to deliberately injure an opponent.

But Scottish football has always had a physical edge to it and I think it would be sad it that was to disappear.

I will be fascinated to see how St Mirren and Stenhousemuir fare against Celtic and Rangers tomorrow, but Danny Lennon and Martyn Corrigan should be firing up their players and sending them out to let their rivals know they are in a game.