Derek McInnes has brushed aside suggestions that Rangers can exert psychological pressure on title rivals Celtic and Hearts with a victory over Dundee on Saturday evening. A win at Dens Park would lift Rangers above Celtic to the top of the Scottish Premiership, with their Glasgow rivals not in action until Sunday when they take on third-place Hearts in a rematch of last season's title decider. However, McInnes firmly believes it is far too early in the campaign to worry about the teams around them.
Rangers enter the fixture with substantial momentum, having won each of their past seven matches across all competitions. That run stands in stark contrast to Celtic, who have stumbled recently by losing four of their past five games. Dismissing the suggestion of gaining an advantage by playing earlier in the weekend, McInnes stated: "The thing for me with that is you've still just got to win your game. Whenever you're asked to play, whether it's a Friday, Saturday, Sunday or Monday, you've just got to win your game. It's a bit early in the season to [put pressure on title rivals]."
Both Celtic and Hearts were involved in European competition on Thursday, as Celtic were beaten 4-1 by Benfica in the Europa League and Hearts drew 1-1 with Nordsjaelland in the Conference League. In contrast, Rangers missed out on Europe after suffering a Conference League play-off loss to Czech Republic side Jablonec back in August. While McInnes acknowledged feeling "a wee bit of envy" watching the European ties, he insisted his side must utilise their extra preparation time to succeed domestically, adding: "Small steps, win your game and don't be too obsessed with what's happening elsewhere."
Looking ahead to Dens Park, McInnes is demanding a higher level of performance after noting a "too big" second-half drop-off during last weekend's 3-1 victory against Kilmarnock following the international break. With a full week of training completed, the Rangers boss is expecting an improved showing from his players. "There will be no reason for that this week," said McInnes. "It's up to us to deliver a big performance and recognise that we need to get more. We need to keep stepping on the gas and deliver the big performances we're looking for."