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Every league Old Firm derby is built up as being pivotal in the destination of the Premiership title, but over the years the decisive factor has tended to be consistency against the rest.
This year it could be different. Last term, Celtic and Rangers both managed to take care of matches elsewhere with relative ease and the early indications are we're in for more of the same this season.
That means derby points become even more important, arguably more important than they ever have been.
Celtic finished four points clear of Rangers last season after winning two and drawing one of the four Old Firm matches, which ended up being the difference.
Their 2-1 victory at Ibrox in early April proved decisive while directly denying Giovanni van Bronckhorst's men, who could only draw 1-1 in the last meeting of the campaign, the chance to make up the gap.
Obviously the derbies are always important matches, but it's not often in the last two decades they have been decisive in a league title race in themselves.
Often the gaps between the teams have been significant. In other seasons, like in 2002-03 when Rangers won the title by a single goal or 2010-11 when Rangers won by a point, the team which has lost the league, Celtic, has garnered more derby points.
The same happened in reverse in 2006-07 when Rangers had the upper hand in the derbies but lost the title by 14 points.
It stands to reason that over a 38-game season the league title is normally decided in the other 34 matches rather than the four derbies but, as last season shows, Rangers and Celtic are beating the rest with increasing ease.
Celtic (16) and Rangers (17) dropped a combined total of 33 points last season against the rest of the Premiership.
Dundee United are the only side other than Celtic to beat Rangers in their last 81 league fixtures, while all three of Celtic's Premiership losses last season came in the first two months while boss Ange Postecoglou was getting to grips with his new squad.
The defending champions are now 37 league games unbeaten since losing to Livingston on 19 September 2021. Third-place Hearts finished 32 points behind Celtic, the same total they finished ahead of relegated Dundee.
This all shows the scale of the gap to the rest and while there will be some dropped points - Rangers have already drawn with Hibernian this season - the Glasgow pair will not spill many against the other 10.
The growing gap to the rest is combined with the teams being hard to separate when they meet.
Only one of the five derbies last season - Celtic's 3-0 win at home in February - were decided by a margin of more than one goal, which again underlines the closeness of the sides.
After Van Bronckhorst's heavy loss in his first game as manager against Celtic, his team improved over the final three, winning the Scottish Cup semi-final 2-1 in extra-time.
Saturday will likely be another closely-fought encounter, and the first of four match-ups which are likely to go a long way to deciding who lifts the Premiership trophy.
