Celtic’s final game of 2023 is also one of the biggest of the calendar year – a derby at home to Rangers amidst a fully-ignited title race.
The Bhoys are currently five points ahead of the second-placed side but have played two games more than them, meaning Saturday’s derby puts whoever wins firmly in the driving seat.
Celtic ran out 1-0 winners in the first derby at Ibrox earlier in the season and Brendan Rodgers has found excellent success in the fixture over the years.
Ahead of the weekend kick-off, his message to the Celtic squad is simple – ignore the noise and hype.
Brendan Rodgers on Celtic and Rangers clash
Rodgers said [Daily Record, 29/12 print edition]: “Avoid the noise if you can. It’s something I’ve always tried to do myself and I’d say the same to the players. These final days when you are preparing is about getting that focus and concentration right on the game. We will be focused and ready for that.
“In the Livingston game we had lots of pressure, scored goals and had other chances. But importantly, we virtually didn’t give anything away and the same with Dundee.
“Dundee away on Boxing Day, it’s always going to be a challenging game, they’ve had a very good season, but we totally dominated. We suffocated the pitch, created lots of opportunities, scored three really good goals. From a performance perspective the last two were much more where I want us to be.
“When you work as hard as the team do and have done, it bodes well when you get that success, the confidence will come. It’s all based around the performance. You know when you’ve played well and over the last couple of games, the tempo’s brought more intensity to our game. And when we play to that level, we can win many games.”
This derby, as is the case for most of them, will be something of a referendum on the current direction of Celtic. Rodgers knows just how big it is, as much as he wants to play it down in the build-up.
A lot of criticism has come the Bhoys’ way in recent weeks, much of it justified. But that will be washed away if they manage to beat Rangers for the second time this season and move eight points clear.
Philippe Clement looks to have them moving in the right direction but it’s up to Celtic to knock them off that perch and sow doubt in their minds about challenging the Bhoys in a title dogfight.
In other news, Celtic boss Brendan Rodgers issues promising Reo Hatate and Liel Abada news ahead of derby.
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