There are three things certain in life: death, taxes and Tom Rogic goals at Hampden. Surprisingly, the Aussie has only started five of Celtic’s ten games at the National Stadium in recent years. He has, however, shown that he quite enjoys the Mount Florida glow – netting four goals in that time.
His most memorable Hampden strike, or for Celtic in general, was the one in the 92nd minute of the Scottish Cup final in 2017. The Hoops had been battering Aberdeen with little reward before the wizard jinked past two men and sliced the ball into the net.
The goal resonates with every Celtic fan around the globe as one of the club’s greatest in recent memory.
It may then be slightly strange that Rogic isn’t guaranteed a starting spot on the same stage this coming weekend.
Two recent cup final specialists
Neil Lennon may not have taken too much from Sunday’s victory over Hearts. The match was a fairly dull affair, occasionally lit up by the youthful exuberance of the likes of Mikey Johnston, Ewan Henderson or Karamoko Dembele.
Olivier Ntcham wasn’t spectacular in the Celtic midfield but he may have given his manager some thinking to do. The Frenchman has struggled for consistency this season but he’s undoubtedly talented and a joy to watch when on his game.
It’s just a year since Ntcham bossed the midfield in the Scottish Cup final against Motherwell. The 23-year-old had a stroll in the sunshine at Hampden and also netted a neat goal in the 2-0 win.
He offers Celtic more balance than Rogic, allowing Callum McGregor to impose himself better on the game. If Ntcham can help us control the tempo in the opening stages then Rogic could be the ideal man to exploit tired legs later on.
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