Davie Provan insists Rangers squad can't compare to Celtic as Ibrox 'tormentor' brings X factor on biggest stage

Davie Provan has hailed Celtic's wing-wizards as game-changers - and insists the current Rangers crop can't hold a candle to their rivals.

The Hoops have an eight-point lead at the top of the Premiership, albeit having played a game more than the Light Blues, with new Light Blues boss Philippe Clement left leading the chasing crew who started this season calamitously under Michael Beale. Rangers' recruitment in the summer has been widely criticised and while Celtic's hasn't had positive reviews either, some top stars from Ange Postecoglou's era remain for Brendan Rodgers to work with.

Reo Hatate, Kyogo, Matt O'Riley and Cameron Carter-Vickers are just some of the current Celtic stars entertaining Parkhead punters, who have also enjoyed Jota, Josip Juranovic and Giorgos Giakoumakis over the last couple of seasons. Speaking to the Sunday Post, former Celtic winger Provan names Liel Abada and Daizen Maeda as two of his favourite to watch. Both are in a race to be fit for December's clash with Rangers and the 67-year-old rates both as cause of Ibrox frustration.

He said: “I’m not sure of Liel Abada’s recovery timetable. But he is really, really good. I like him so much. He is another who is so young and has lots of time on his side. But he still does it in big games. He has tormented Rangers a few times. When I look at the Celtic squad I see some players of high quality. I feel the squad is much stronger than what Rangers have.

"Daizen Maeda is also a real asset on the wings. He can be explosive on the ball at any given moment and must be a headache for full-backs. It’s unfortunate he is injured just now. He will be a sore miss for the team. I’m sure Brendan would love to have him back available for the game against Rangers