Celtic midfielder James Forrest will miss his side's vital Scottish Premiership showdown with Rangers through injury, Ange Postecoglou has confirmed.

The Lowdown: Huge clash at Ibrox

The Hoops face their biggest game of the season on Sunday afternoon, making the trip to face their biggest rivals at Ibrox.

Celtic currently lead the way by three points at the top of the table, so Postecoglou will know how priceless victory would be this weekend, even though avoiding defeat remains the key.

The league leaders will have to make do without an old head, however, with an injury blow emerging in the build-up on Friday.

The Latest: Forrest ruled out

Speaking to the media on Friday, Postecoglou confirmed that Forrest would miss out, having failed to recover from an injury picked up last month:

"In terms of injuries, everyone has got through the international window well, the only one who is not available for the weekend is James Forrest. He still has a bit of a niggle from his last game, so he’s the one that’s ruled out."

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The Verdict: Experience will be missed

In truth, Forrest hasn't been the influential player he once was this season, only managing eight starts in the league, with a knee injury keeping him sidelined in the early months of the campaign.

That being said, the Scot's vast experience in this fixture could have made him a priceless figure on Sunday, with the occasion unlikely to get the better of him.

That nous will be missed at Ibrox - he still has four goals this season and has won 18 out of 25 total appearances against Rangers - but the hope is that Celtic still have enough quality to pull through and show that they are the champions in waiting.

In other news, a pundit has dropped a key Celtic injury claim. Read more here.