Rangers have contacted the Scottish Football Association to question why a challenge from Celtic's Mika Baur on Ryan Naderi was not reviewed by VAR. The incident occurred during the second half of Rangers' 3-0 Premier Sports Cup quarter-final win last week, a result that saw Celtic lose their last two matches ahead of the league summit meeting.

Manager Derek McInnes confirmed the club's action. "Well, I haven't, but the club have," McInnes said. "Jim Gillespie spoke to (head of refereeing) Willie Collum in the SFA about it."

Referee Nick Walsh awarded a free-kick to Celtic for the tackle, but the VAR team led by Andrew Dallas did not call for an on-field review. McInnes expressed his dissatisfaction with the challenge itself, describing Naderi's lower leg as 'a mess' afterwards. "I'm really not happy with the challenge, but I'm not going to get caught up in referee chat," the manager added.

Injury doubts for Sunday

The concern now is player availability for the key Premiership fixture this Sunday at Celtic Park. Ryan Naderi is one of two players considered a doubt. He did not train on the day of the manager's comments, though he may return to the pitch the following day. An unnamed player is also a fitness concern.

There is better news regarding defender Tuur Rommens, who has not played since injuring his groin against Hibernian last month. Rommens has returned to training and took part in the session.

Celtic enter the match holding a five-point lead at the top of the Premiership, with 18 points from six perfect wins. Their last league outing was a 1-0 victory at St Johnstone. However, their recent form shows two consecutive defeats, including that 3-0 cup loss at Ibrox and a 3-1 Europa League reverse at home to Ferencvaros on Thursday. In that European match, Mika Baur scored Celtic's lone goal.

The upcoming derby will have a unique atmosphere due to an ongoing ticket allocation dispute. Last week's cup tie at Ibrox was attended only by Rangers supporters, and this Sunday's league match at the 60,000-capacity Celtic Park will host only home fans. The squad will also be without several key players, with Yang Hyun-Jun, Alistair Johnston, Callum Osmand and Jota all currently sidelined. The latest team news and injury updates are always available on our injuries section.

Celtic's top scorer this season is C. Durán with three goals from six appearances. The team will look to extend their league advantage and bounce back from recent cup and European disappointments when they host their rivals, who sit second in the table. The next fixture is at home to Rangers on Sunday, 20 September.

Read the full report at The Scotsman Football