Celtic hero Kenny Dalglish believes new signing Nat Phillips can "thrive" against Rangers in the upcoming clash at Ibrox.

The 26-year-old signed from Liverpool on loan until January as Brendan Rodgers boosted his defensive options after an injury crisis at centre-back.

And Dalglish believes the player will be thrown right into the action at Ibrox.

Writing in his Sunday Post column, he said: "With an injury crisis in the centre of defence, I would expect Nat Phillips to be given the nod.

"It wouldn’t surprise me to see him partnering Gustaf Lagerbielke. Nat has had loan spells at Stuttgart and Bournemouth.

He has also played a number of games in Liverpool’s first team. I was impressed with him. He is tall, solid, powerful and good in the air.

READ MORE: Celtic predicted line-ups for Glasgow Derby versus Rangers

"He is a very straightforward, no-nonsense operator and loves to defend. Playing in this fixture will not faze him.

"He is the type of character to thrive on it and will handle big games. Sure, he is going into a game where there will be 50,000 Rangers fans and not a single Celtic supporter in the stadium.

"That is a difficult scenario for any footballer but Celtic will need to find a way to cope.

"I reckon it’s going to be a 0-0 draw. However, if there is a goal, the opening goal will secure the three points."