Arteta awaits derby debut

Arteta( left) and Muscat are eager to face Celtic

Rangers' new Spanish signing Mikel Arteta has said that he can't wait for his first first Old Firm derby showdown with Celtic.

The midfielder expects the experience to be more than a match for the passionate games between Barcelona and Real Madrid.

Old Firm back down

The former Barcelona youngster said: "There are a lot of similarities between the two games but over here it is more hectic.

"There are two big teams in Spain just like there is in Scotland but the crowd here tends to be more lively.

"Everybody likes playing in the big important games and I'm looking forward to the atmosphere in the stadium when I play against them (Celtic)," he added.

Arteta was appearing with Rangers' other new signing Kevin Muscat for the first time at the re-launch of the club's weekly magazine.

Muscat eager to impress

The Australian international defender was also aware of the intensity of the Glasgow derbies.

He said: "Craig Moore invited me up for a few Old Firm games and the atmosphere was unbelievable.

"I was fortunate to sit in the crowd and see what it meant to the fans.

"Craig filled me in on the history between the two clubs which is probably as fierce as it's ever been.

De Boer(right) influenced Arteta's decision

I'm not going to knock the midlands derbies but this is a step up," he added.

Arteta is excited at the prospect of linking up with Barry Ferguson in the Rangers' midfield.

"I'm looking forward to playing with Barry and hopefully I'll settle into the team as soon as possible.

"I'll try to do the best I can and hopefully meet the manager's expectations."

Arteta could have signed for Paris St Germain, where he was on loan for a year, or returned to Spain but in the end opted for Ibrox after speaking to ex-Barcelona team-mate Ronald de Boer.

"There were a few problems at the beginning in deciding which club to sign for but I was convinced by Rangers," he said.

"Ronald was also a big influence in me coming here.

"He has helped me a lot since I came over and I'm very happy with the way I have been treated," he added.

Arteta and Muscat fly to New York on Tuesday morning with the rest of their new teammates for a pre-season tour of America.

Rangers are scheduled to play four friendly matches, beginning with a game against a College All-Star Select at Rutgers University on Thursday

The Ibrox side will then face stiffer opposition in the shape of Brazilian team Santos on 13 July.

They will play D3-Pro League side Reading Rage on 17 July with the series of games completed on 20 July with a match against the Argentinian champions River Plate.