Celtic have endured a mixed season when it comes to the Glasgow derbies against Rangers.
It started well with the 3-0 win in September and got even better when Celtic overcame their city rivals on penalties in the Premier Sports Cup final after a 3-3 thriller.
Since then, it’s been all downhill for the Hoops. Rangers won 3-0 and 3-2 at Ibrox and Parkhead respectively in the Premiership – although that did nothing for their title ambitions.
Celtic already have that in the bag and the talk around Sunday’s derby has centred around how meaningful it really is for both clubs.
Rangers midfielder Mohamed Diomande has been speaking to the press, however, and confirms it means everything to the Ibrox club.
Rangers midfielder Diomande on facing Celtic
The Ivorian has told Celtic that Rangers will be ready for this game, as they always have been for Glasgow derby tussles this season.
He said on Friday at the Rangers Training Centre that they will try everything to secure a win for their fans, who have been starved of success due to Celtic’s utter dominance.
Diomande told reporters: “A win on Sunday would help with belief for next season. We’ve already won two games against them, it’s the other games we’ve lost.
“I know we’re going to be ready for this game. That’s something that happens every time we play against Celtic.
“Looking back at this season, I know there’s going to be a lot of regret from a lot of us here. We thought we could push in the other games.
“But our fans want us to beat them on Sunday and we’ll be trying to do that. I’m going to be hard on myself. I’ve done that a lot of times this season, that’s just what I feel.”
Diomande is a Rangers threat for Celtic
Last time out at Celtic Park, Rangers breezed into a 2-0 lead via goals from Nicolas Raskin and midfielder Diomande.
The 23-year-old found himself in acres of space inside the Celtic penalty as he took the ball down and fired a shot past a helpless Kasper Schmeichel.
The Hoops fought back to 2-2 but obviously lost the game 3-2. Diomande played 66 minutes and received an 8.1 match rating from FotMob.
Rangers’ midfield were good that day as Celtic missed the presence of Callum McGregor. But while the captain will be back at Ibrox on Sunday, he’ll need to keep tabs on Diomande.
He is a relentless runner and loves a physical tussle, underlined by the fact Diomande has four yellow cards and a red card to his name in the Premiership this season.
But he also has four goals and six assists, so Celtic should be wary of his threats.
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