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Allan McGregor, playing in his 250th Old Firm game (probably) affects a cool disinterest: “Just another game, obviously it’s a big game, but you have to prepare like it’s just another game.”
Ewan Murray runs the rule over the usual suspects.
Beale is not without error. He made rookie mistakes during the League Cup final defeat by Celtic. Nonetheless, he has rapidly discovered that Rangers can look fluent against dross in the Scottish Premiership without being at all convincing when stakes are raised. He is worthy of an opportunity to alter that, including by pressing home knowledge of the club he is so keen to stress he garnered as a coach under Steven Gerrard. Beating Celtic on Sunday would deliver a morale boost but in bigger-picture terms Rangers need to rejuvenate themselves as an efficient and effective club. Neither presently applies.
And some prime Scottish Cup memories from Martyn Ramsay.
Stuart McCall discovered the reality of life as a Rangers player when he took his family out for a Chinese meal after they had lost at home to Celtic on 21 March 1992 – 10 days before the teams would meet again in the semi-final. “Everyone was down after the match, but the table was there for 8.30pm so we still went out,” he recalled in his autobiography. “To my amazement as we were strolling in this little Chinese guy came up to us and started shouting about how bloody useless Rangers were. He took our coats into the cloakroom, but came back with a Rangers scarf and proceeded to stamp on it in disgust, saying Rangers were bloody rubbish today!
Caley Thistle lie in wait in the final.
For Rangers, Connor Goldson is back after missing the last three games with injury. Ryan Kent also starts. Reo Hatate and Jota come in for Celtic. Both managers seem to be risking star players who are coming back from injury. It’s all on this.
The teams are in...
Rangers: McGregor, Tavernier, Goldson, Davies, Barisic, Lundstram, Raskin, Cantwell, Tillman, Kent, Morelos. Subs: McLaughlin, Ridvan, Hagi, Souttar, Matondo, Kamara, Wright, Sakala, Arfield
Celtic: Hart, Johnston, Carter-Vickers, Starfelt, Taylor, McGregor, Hatate, O’Riley, Jota, Maeda, Kyogo. Subs: Bain, Haksabanovic, Mooy, Turnbull, Kobayashi, Oh, Iwata, Ralston, Vata
Preamble
Here we are again, for the fifth of sixth meetings between the traditional rivals. And so far this season, it’s all coming up Celtic, who have won three from four Old Firm meetings and the last time they met at Hampden, in the Scottish League Cup final, they won thanks to two goals from Kyogo Furuhashi. Ange Postecoglou continues to be flamin’ master of all he surveys while Michael Beale is under some pressure. But that’s the way it goes in this eternal rivalry, when one’s up, the other’s almost certainly down.
Kick-off is at 1.30pm Glasgow/London time. Join me.
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