JACK Butland has backed Ben Davies to cope with the intensity of the Old Firm match at Parkhead today if the Rangers defender is given the nod to face Celtic and called on his team to summon the spirit of Seville.

Davies made his comeback from injury at half-time in the cinch Premiership match against Kilmarnock at Ibrox last Sunday and promptly scored his first goal for the Glasgow giants to put them 2-1 ahead.

Butland was delighted for his countryman, who had been sidelined for five months, and expressed confidence the centre half, who could start at Parkhead today if Leon Balogun fails to pass a late fitness test, will build on the performance.

The former Liverpool defender, a £3.5m signing back in 2002, featured at the back for Rangers in their Europa League win over Real Betis in Spain back in December and the goalkeeper has no concerns about his ability to cope with the hostile atmosphere in the East end of Glasgow. 

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“I was buzzing for him last weekend,” he said. “For those who have been regulars in the team it’s been great, but others have had to work hard and bide their time.

“Ben is a fantastic character who has been kept out of the team by some brilliant defenders who have been performing very well. But Ben is a great guy to have around the place. He trains really hard so to see him get his opportunity was a huge boost for all of us.

“He’s one of the good guys and I have every faith in him, there’s no doubts about Ben whatsoever. He’s a great left footed defender who puts his body on the line, he reads the game very well also. He’s someone I enjoy training with. I think of Betis away where he’s performed well and been absolutely rock solid for us.”

The Herald: Asked if Rangers had to show the same mental strength as they did against Betis to triumph against Celtic today, he said: “You could say that. We’ve said before about being written off. It’s happened to us many times before this season and we have proved people wrong.

“We are not fearful, we are confident with what we have in the building. The games we’ve played, despite not getting the results we would have liked, we know there’s been opportunities there.

“So there’s no fear. It’s a special opportunity for us and hopefully at 3pm tomorrow we’re sat in a really happy dressing room, looking forward to the final two matches in the league.

“It’s intense. There’s something riding on every game. Whether it’s going to St Mirren or Kilmarnock or going away to Betis, the pressure is always there. That’s what makes it enjoyable, it’s what football is all about. We have a great opportunity to do something special.”

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Butland exchanged words with a Rangers fan following the 4-1 win over Kilmarnock last weekend – but the England internationalist stressed there was no issues between the treble-chasing Ibrox squad and their followers entering the crucial final games of the 2023/24 campaign.

“I only ever get positive messages from the fans,” he said. “Look, it is what it is. It means so much to everybody, it means a hell of a lot to me, it means a lot to the boys in the changing room.

“It is not just for the fans, it is for us. The boys have worked hard to put themselves back in this position to be successful this year. We have done it as a collective, we have done it with the fans and we deserve to be in this position with everything to fight for. It is an exciting time.”