Celtic will put their Champions League aspirations to one side after midweek as the Premier Sports Cup final against Rangers now awaits.
The Bhoys haven’t dropped the ball once domestically this term and are unbeaten in 30 matches on Scottish soil across all competitions. No pressure for this weekend then!
On the injury front, Celtic look likely to have a clean bill of health against Rangers. Alistair Johnston was withdrawn with a knock in Zagreb, but looks likely to recover in time for the Hampden showpiece.
Rangers also have two days less preparation for the tie as they take on Ange Postecoglou’s Tottenham in the Europa League this evening, which may also provide an advantage for Brendan Rodgers.
Ahead of another chance for Celtic to write their name into the history books, Callum McGregor has reminded the players of their responsibilities.
Callum McGregor previews Premier Sports Cup final
Speaking ahead of the clash, McGregor is solely focused on events at Hampden on Sunday and has urged his teammates to seize their opportunity by giving ‘everything’ to the occasion.
He explained: “Yes, of course it does. The ones that slip away from you are the ones that you remember. Every tournament that we play in we want to win it, we want to do the best we can. And this is the first one up for grabs. Our approach doesn’t really change, although maybe a little bit because we didn’t win it last year.
“The expectation is to win and the players know that. We have to recover well from the game against Dinamo and, when we go to the Final, we have to give everything we can to make sure it’s a positive afternoon.
Later, he added on his own record and hunger for more trophies: “I think probably because I just want the next one. And when that’s happened I park it again and go again.
“The hunger’s still there. At this club you have to keep proving yourself time and time again. It doesn’t matter how many you’ve won, the next one is the most important.”
Celtic have been over the course many times before
Omens don’t mean much in the lead-up to big matches, but they can provide some insight into what might happen if circumstances align.
Purely speaking, Celtic have a sizeable advantage in players that have been over the course and prevailed in these situations in comparison to their rivals, that is just fact.
However, there is no room for complacency, with matches at Hampden seldom comfortable in terms of scoreline.
Cup finals can go either way, and the onus is now on Celtic to show why they deserve to be the ones on the podium come full-time.
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