Rangers manager Steven Gerrard has suggested that the Celtic Park fear factor has gone ahead of Sunday’s Old Firm at the venue [Glasgow Times], with bullish comments that are sure to go down well with supporters.
For years, the Gers struggled to compete on derby day in Glasgow, especially at Celtic Park, with the Hoops even triumphing 5-0 there in April 2018, just a month before Gerrard’s appointment.
During his first season in the hot seat, his team were defeated twice on enemy soil – 1-0 and 2-1 – but there were big signs of improvement and since then, further strides have been taken.
A 2-1 victory in December 2019 was backed up by a 2-0 triumph in October 2020 and now, the Gers boss has suggested there’s no trepidation whatsoever ahead of Sunday’s fixture.
“It was going to take time and it was going to be a process before we got to the right level where we could compete head-on,” he said [Glasgow Times]. “Now we believe we are at that point where it doesn’t matter where the Old Firm is, we are going to go in there with belief and with a right good chance of getting the result and the outcome that we want.”
“Winning Old Firm games is bigger than your normal three points because on the back of a win comes a lot of belief and confidence, a lot of good feeling, a very satisfying feeling.
“It is the main fixture. There is no getting away from that. I think over the course of a campaign you can’t be obsessed with this fixture because you have obviously got to perform consistently against all the other opponents, which we have done this season.”
The title is already in the bag but there’s plenty left to play for coming into this Old Firm.
There’s the very real prospect of going the entire season unbeaten while there’s also the carrot of a third straight victory at Celtic Park, which, if achieved, would be the latest proof that the balance of power has well and truly shifted in Glasgow.
Ahead of the game, check out our Predicted XI and our Preview Video over on the Rangers News YouTube channel.
Receive a digest of our best Rangers content each week direct to your mailbox
