The unique Rangers superstitions players swear by from fighting mirrors to haircut bans in search for Celtic edge

Footballers are creatures of habit who find comfort in what they know best.

And the bigger the game, the more unique the pre-match rituals.

Rangers against Celtic is a fixture unlike any other and the players involved are keenly aware of the importance of getting a result.

This is a game where the smallest of margins often separate the sides.

And some will go to incredible lengths in the search for an edge on derby day with supporters wanting their heroes on the pitch to feel every emotion like them.

Nothing is off the table in a bid to be ready for a big match.

Record Sport looks at some of the blue corner's outside-the-box thinking in the build-up to derby day at Ibrox this weekend.

Rangers skipper Barry Ferguson had a unique approach to taking on Celtic and he detailed to Record Sport every painstaking detail he would put himself through on derby day.

He said: "I had my own way of psyching myself up for the 90 minutes ahead – and most of them involved making sure I was in some sort of pain.

"So I’d wait until the boys were going through their routines. Some would be shouting, some sitting in silence staring at the walls. Every player has his own way of getting into that zone.

"Me? I’d slip away quietly and head to the toilets. I’d have a pre-match pee and as I was standing there going about my business I’d catch my own reflection in the bathroom tiles.

"Look, I know this sounds crazy. It probably is. But I’d jab my fist into those tiles as if I was ready for a fight with the whole toilet wall. It was nothing too bad. I wasn’t trying to smash the place up or anything like that.

"I just needed to feel a bit of pain to sharpen up my senses. To get me focused on what I was about to walk into.

"Sometimes, I’d ask