TOMORROW at Ibrox, Celtic will attempt to end a marriage. Rangers have wooed and won the Scottish League title for the last seven years unopposed by their great rivals leaving Celtic and their supporters smouldering with frustration and jealousy.

Fans throughout Scotland and beyond are bristling with anticipation of the most important game between the clubs since the final day of season 1978-79, which produced a dramatic 4-2 win for Celtic and with it the league title.

Rangers currently lead by three points, knowing that a win would open up the kind of gap that no club could reasonably expect to close in the seven games which will remain. Yet, while victory won't in itself win the title for either side, Tommy Burns, the Celtic manager, is well aware of the importance of a win for his side.

The belief of observers that Burns has turned back the clock to produce a style reminiscent of the Celtic teams of old can be attributed to the astute management of Burns, a skilful player himself, who has demanded of his players the rigorous professionalism he himself required to become a legend of the club.

Burns is the first to admit he has been helped in his task by the response of players he has brought to the club. Jackie McNamara, Pierre van Hoiijdonk and Tosh McKinley have performed above expectations, while those who had been at the club through the dark barren years, Paul McStay, Peter Grant and John Collins, have responded well to the newcomers.

The result has been a league title race worthy of the name for the first time in several years. While Motherwell, Hearts and even Aberdeen put in commendable attempts to stay with the pace of Rangers over the last few years, only Celtic, it would seem, have the facilities and potential to compete with Rangers at every level. Between the two a total of three league games have been lost this season.

To date, the Burns blueprint has been a qualified success. The Scottish Cup currently adorns the sideboard in the boardroom, but the league title is the ultimate prize, and here Celtic have some way to go. They have shown this season that they, are cap able of playing at a consistent level, but in four games against Rangers they have still to taste victory. Until they can do so, title success might prove elusive.

Burns believes Celtic are at last a year ahead of its targets for the club. You go into something like this with a plan, but football doesn't work like that, there is no real logic to it. All you can do is set out what you want to do and hopefully get some lucks on the way.

"We've brought in players who have done well and reached a consistency and quality of play quicker than I imagined. The supporters expect it now and that brings with it the burden of winning cups and leagues, but that is what this club should be all about.

"I think we can be pleased that we are matching the standards set by Rangers, who have set a level of consistency that is the best this country has seen for many years. We have been on the outside looking into big games for some time, now we can go in and make an impact on them. I've been pleased with our progress in the last 20 months, but there is still a long way to go to get this club back to where it should be."

Burns suggested yesterday that he has settled in his own mind the makeup of his side for tomorrow's game in the knowledge that Celtic will have to take something from Ibrox if they are to win the league. Realistically, they must win.

Collins, who should return from injury, has the goal scoring credentials for Ibrox, having found the net there on several occasions with free kicks, while Tommy Boyd is likely to return from suspension to strengthen the defence, probably at the expense of Brian O'Neil.

Walter Smith, the Rangers manager, will also have to juggle his squad, his major decision cent ring around the fitness, of his striking duo of Ally McCoist and Gordon Durie, both of whom are returning from injury. Richard Gough, Rangers' captain, will be missing through injury and Smith will again look to the skills of Brian Laudrup and Paul Gascoigne.

Celtic supporters would be advised on St Patrick's Day not to rely so much on divine intervention as on the skills of Collins or Van Hooijdonk as they look for the victory they so desperately seek. The tendency in recent years has been for the visiting team to come out on top in these fixtures and with both sides attacking with a vengeance, Ibrox is sure to be rocked to its very foundations. The atmosphere of an Old Firm encounter is second to none and, this is one in which Celtic will hope they can confound those critics who have this week claimed that they do not have the heart for the vital games.

The winning of the Scottish Cup last season gave ruins and his players the confidence to know that they are capable of winning again after six years in the doldrums.