Scottish Gossip: Celtic, Rangers, Aberdeen, Anderlecht, PSG, Motherwell, Livingston, Dundee Utd, Edinburgh City

FOOTBALL GOSSIP

The Scottish Professional Football League board will today shelve plans for an independent review into Scottish football's handling of the Rangers' employee benefit trust saga. (Daily Mail, print edition)

Celtic central defender Jozo Simunovic is a doubt for Saturday's Scottish Premiership derby against Rangers after he was left out of the squad for Wednesday's League Cup win over Dundee with swelling on his knee. (The Herald)

Manager Brendan Rodgers expects defender Jozo Simunovic and striker Moussa Dembele to be back in Celtic's starting line-up for Saturday's meeting with Rangers despite not being in the squad against Dundee on Wednesday. (Evening Times)

Rangers are facing a defensive crisis ahead of Saturday's derby with Premiership leaders Celtic. Captain Lee Wallace is already ruled out, Bruno Alves and Declan John went off injured against Partick Thistle on Tuesday, while Fabio Cardoso has posted social media photographs of the four stitches he received after that League Cup win. (Evening Times)

Rangers' Jak Alnwick believes that Ross McCrorie, the 19-year-old central defender who has earned praise for his midweek display against Partick Thistle, reminds him of Fabricio Coloccini, the Argentine who was the goalkeeper's team-mate at Newcastle United. (Daily Record)

Alfredo Morelos' agent, Jonne Lindblom, thinks Celtic's defence is not well enough equipped to handle the in-form Rangers striker - provided the Colombian can cool his hot temper and avoid a red card. (Daily Record)

Jozo Simunovic is an injury doubt for Celtic ahead of their meeting with Rangers

Rangers goalkeeper Wes Foderingham says Celtic will not cause "too many problems" for his side in Saturday's first Old Firm derby of the season - if the Ibrox side avoid a poor start to the game. (Scottish Sun)

Former Rangers defender John Brown fears the Ibrox side could suffer another Old Firm drubbing unless manager Pedro Caixinha changes his tactics following a 5-1 defeat by Celtic in their meeting last season. (The Scotsman)

Former Celtic striker Craig Bellamy says manager Brendan Rodgers will struggle to get another top job in the Premier League on the back of success in Scotland because nobody in England cares about the Scottish Premiership. (Daily Record)

Anderlecht, who sacked coach Rene Weiler last week, have suffered another blow ahead of their Champions League meeting with Celtic after Honduras winger Andy Najar was ruled out for at least two months with a hamstring tear. (Daily Record)

Celtic's Champions League group opponents, Paris St-Germain, have ordered forwards Neymar and Edinson Cavani to end the off-field row that followed a disagreement over who took a penalty against Lyon. (Daily Record)

Rangers defenders Fabio Cardoso and Ross McCrorie are both in the news

Aberdeen winger Gary Mackay-Steven, who was rescued from Glasgow's River Kelvin last month, has broken his silence about the incident saying: "I jumped over a wall and ended up in a river. It was silly night out that got out of hand." (Daily Mail)

League Two outfit Edinburgh City have signed Jesus Garcia Tena, the Spanish defender released by Hamilton Academical, on a short-term deal until the end of January. (Edinburgh Evening News)

Dundee United defender Paul Quinn suffered a health scare as a result of a poisoned tooth, an increase in heart rate forcing him off after only 10 minutes of Saturday's goalless draw against Falkirk. (The Courier)

Twins Nicky and Chris Cadden have celebrated their 21st birthday by playing in League Cup quarter-finals within days of one another. Nicky helped Livingston go close to upsetting Hibernian on Tuesday, while Chris faces Aberdeen for Motherwell on Thursday. (The Herald)

OTHER GOSSIP

England have been defeated in their bid to reduce the Six Nations Championship from a seven-week tournament to six after France joined the other nations in voting against the proposal at a Six Nations board meeting.(The Times)

Edinburgh wing Jason Harries has questioned the fairness of occasional Pro14 matches lacking a television match official after he appeared to be unfortunate not to be awarded a try in the first half of last Friday's 20-17 loss to Benetton Treviso at Myreside. (The Scotsman)