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The sound of Faithless’ Insomnia and some supremely ineffective flames on what is a bright, sunny day suggest the grand entrance of the team to the Hampden pitch is not far off.
Rod Stewart has arrived….
Ange Postecoglou has been speaking to the BBC.
It’s not a nervousness, it’s an excitement. I’d much rather be here than be on the couch watching two other teams play. This is why I do what I do. I want to be part of successful teams, that’s the case here. Every trophy is hard earned. If we win today, it’ll be hard earned.
We had a strong training week. It’s fine margins between who starts and who doesn’t. There’s no doubt we’ll need five guys off the bench.
The players don’t need too much motivation today.
From the last two Old Firm meetings in this final.
Rangers manager Michael Beale has been speaking to the BBC.
It’s a fantastic day for the fans and the club. It’s where we want to be.
I’m delighted John Lundstram, Malik Tillman, Ryan Jack and Scott Arfield have all come through some injury scares. We’re strong in selection and off the bench. We have options to help if and when required. When you look at the team we have out, we can’t have any complaints afterwards. We now need to perform to our capability.
The key to us winning today is focusing on Rangers and bringing the best version of ourselves.
What’s the meaning of those teams? Malik Tillman is back for Rangers after recovering from a hamstring injury. John Lundstram also starts this afternoon’s Old Firm final after recovering from a knock. Pantene addict Todd Cantwell and Nicolas Raskin drop to the bench accordingly.
For Celtic, Aaron Mooy returns to midfield and Kyogo Furuhashi starts up front. Hyeon-Gyu Oh and Matt O’Riley are benched.
The teams are in
Rangers: McGregor, Tavernier, Goldson, Davies, Barisic, Kamara, Lundstram, Tillman, Sakala, Kent, Morelos. Subs: McLaughlin, Hagi, Jack, Colak, Cantwell, Wright, Arfield, Raskin, Devine
Team vs Rangers: Hart, Johnston, Carter-Vickers, Starfelt, Taylor, McGregor,Mooy, Hatate, Jota, Maeda, Kyogo. Subs: Bain, Haksabanovic, Abada, Kobayashi, Turnbull, O’Riley, Iwata, Ralston, Oh
Ewan Murray previewed the game.
The approaches of Beale and Postecoglou are intriguingly different. The former is new age in respect of lavishing praise on players and emphasising the strength of his relationships with them. Postecoglou maintains distance between himself and his squad, while harbouring no fear over criticising them in public.
Celtic’s greater strength in depth renders Postecoglou’s style easier to implement, of course. Celtic buy to improve, with their manager paying only lip service to the development of players from within the club’s academy system. It is to Beale’s credit that he appears willing to give youth a chance.
Preamble
An Old Firm derby in the Scottish League Cup final brings with it a wealth of possibilities, not all of them pleasant. It’s the 16th time it’s happened in what was once known as the Skol Cup. Of the previous 15 times, Celtic have won six while Rangers have won nine. This time, it’s Celtic who are favourites, with Ange Postecoglou’s team riding high and Michael Beale not long since returned to the club where he helped Steven Gerrard win the league title. Since their return from the lower leagues, Rangers have been low on trophies, winning just two major gongs in the last two decades, with apologies to the Scottish League Challenge Cup of 2016. That’s not to dismiss last season’s Europa League heroics but it’s the East End of Glasgow that is more familiar with the routine of trophy celebrations these days; this offers the chance for Postecoglou secure his third major Scottish honour from a possible four. And so to Hampden, and a fixture to be full-blooded and a game that’s all about sticking it to the opposition.
Kick-off is 3pm Glasgow time. Join me.
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