Ronny Deila claims that Celtic will not be affected by the promotion of Rangers to the Scottish top-flight in their hunt for trophies.

The rivalry between the two clubs is intense and one of the famous across the world. The old firm derby, as it is called, is regarded as one of the most intense in the world. There have been meetings between Rangers and Celtic in the last few years – even after the relegation of the former into the lower levels of Scottish football – in cup competitions. However, there has been no league meeting between the two for quite a while.

This could change for the 2016-17 season since Rangers arepromoted to the top flight, although it remains to be seen if they could be at full strength straightaway. The Premier League title, though, remains undecided yet but Celtic are overwhelming favourites after opening up an eight-point advantage over Aberdeen in the last few weeks. Aberdeen have let down by two defeats in the last five games whereas Celtic have lost only three matches throughout the campaign. Ronny Deila has attracted criticism for the club’s failure to dominate their league, but recent performances have improved the position of the manager.

The biggest test for Deila will come next season when Celtic will have to perform in European football."It doesn't affect us so much. They have shown they are good enough to be in the top division and if it's Hibs, Falkirk or Rangers we'll be ready for it, that's how it is. We'll see, it is too early to say something about other teams. I've got a lot of other things to think about. This is something you can keep on thinking about in the media and I will answer next season,” said the Celtic boss about the challenge from Rangers this season.