There is something quietly significant about the way Derek McInnes talks about his Rangers dressing room right now. Not the language of a manager papering over cracks, nor the careful deflection you often hear ahead of a fixture this loaded. When he says there is a "real bond" developing among his players, you get the sense he actually means it.

Bojan Miovski's added-time winner against St Mirren on Wednesday evening sent Ibrox into something approaching delirium — and the celebrations on the pitch afterwards told their own story. "Lots of cuddles going on," McInnes said, with the kind of warmth that suggested he was perfectly comfortable with every last embrace. "There was lots of bonding but I see a bunch of boys who are just desperate to do well."

That late win was Rangers' fourth consecutive league victory, and it arrives at a moment the club genuinely needs momentum. Because coming down the track, like two freight trains on the same line, are back-to-back Old Firm fixtures that will shape perceptions of where this Ibrox side is headed under McInnes.

Sunday at Ibrox, then Celtic Park the week after

First up is the League Cup quarter-final at Ibrox on Sunday (kick-off 12:00 BST), where Rangers will host Celtic with a Hampden semi-final place at stake. Seven days later, the same two clubs meet in the Scottish Premiership, this time at Celtic Park. It is the kind of fixture double-header that tends to define seasons — or at least reframe them sharply.

McInnes, who knows these games from both sides of the touchline — he won cup and league medals as a Rangers player — is measured about what Sunday represents without underplaying it. "We're 90 minutes away from Hampden, we're three games away from lifting silverware," he said. "You've got to beat the good teams to win a trophy ordinarily and we've got a tough game."

The last time Rangers lifted the League Cup was in 2023, and that remains the club's most recent major honour. McInnes himself has only one major trophy as a manager — that same competition, won with Aberdeen back in 2014. The hunger to add to that, and to restore Rangers as a genuine force domestically, runs through everything he says at the moment.

'Relevant again' — the target McInnes has set

Perhaps the most telling phrase McInnes used this week was about wanting to make Rangers "relevant domestically again in terms of winning trophies." It is an honest assessment of where the club finds itself, and a clear statement of intent. Celtic have been the dominant force in Scottish football for years, accumulating trophies with a consistency that has put real distance between the clubs.

McInnes is not pretending that gap does not exist. He acknowledged Celtic are "a good team who have been the main title winners" in recent seasons. But he is equally clear that Sunday is a genuine opportunity rather than just a test of character. Home advantage in a cup quarter-final matters. The crowd at Ibrox, when it is fully behind the team, matters enormously.

His tactical message to the players was blunt: do not get "caught up in the fixture." Move the ball quickly, be ready for Celtic's press, win individual duels, and mix the right amount of "fire and ice" at the right moments. It is the kind of grounded, specific thinking that suggests a manager who has done his preparation without overcomplicating things.

Whether that bond in the dressing room — built over four straight league wins and a late night of cuddles at Ibrox — translates into something tangible come Sunday lunchtime remains to be seen. But for the first time in a little while, there is a discernible sense that Rangers are building towards something rather than simply getting by.

Frequently asked

When is the Rangers vs Celtic League Cup quarter-final?
The League Cup quarter-final between Rangers and Celtic takes place at Ibrox on Sunday, with kick-off at 12:00 BST.
When did Rangers last win the League Cup?
Rangers last won the League Cup in 2023, which remains their most recent major trophy.
What trophies has Derek McInnes won as a manager?
Derek McInnes has won one major trophy as a manager — the League Cup with Aberdeen in 2014.