Philippe Clement declares Rangers are READY for Celtic as boss reveals his ultimate focus

Philippe Clement watched Rangers go back to the top of the Premiership - then claimed they’re ready to beat Celtic in next week’s Old Firm derby.

The Ibrox men moved two points clear of their Glasgow rivals in the table with a 3-1 victory over Hibs. Celtic could jump above them again with a win at Livingston today - but Clement’s team still have a game in hand. And they can take full advantage by seeing off Brendan Rodgers’ men in Govan next Sunday. As he geared up for the third derby of the campaign, the Belgian boss says he KNOWS Gers can come out on top.

Clement said: “I’m confident we can win against anybody. Are we at our best right now? No. We’ve had injuries and some players are not at their best yet. But I also know that we can win that game and we have the quality to do it.

“It’s not the decisive game of the season because we have eight more to go. But I’m focused on the next one, that’s the mentality of my players. They understand that’s the way.

“We are focused on one thing and that’s performance. If we perform well next week, we have a big chance to get a result. We’ll keep on pushing until the end in all of our eight games - and hopefully two more in the Scottish Cup.”

Goals from James Tavernier, Cyriel Dessers and Rabbi Matondo secured the points for Rangers against Hibs, who replied through Myziane Maolida. Clement’s captain, Tavernier, broke the British record for high-scoring defenders, taking over from Graham Alexander by notching his 131st.

His manager singled him out for praise in the dressing-room afterwards and hailed his incredible feat. Clement said: “It’s an amazing achievement, especially as he still has a couple of years to go.

“So he can only make this record bigger and bigger. If you speak