Philippe Clement insists Rangers’ season is just not over forward of Thursday’s Outdated Agency conflict, whereas Brendan Rodgers has vowed Celtic won’t “soften up” regardless of their 14-point lead within the Scottish Premiership.
The newest instalment of this fixture – stay on Sky Sports activities – comes weeks after the 2 met in a controversial League Cup ultimate which Celtic gained on penalties.
Clement insists that defeat at Hampden Park proves Rangers can beat the champions, with the Scottish FA’s head of refereeing admitting afterwards they need to have been awarded a penalty in extra-time when the rating was stage at 3-3.
Nonetheless, if the Belgian is to mastermind a much-needed victory on this fixture, he might want to do it with out captain James Tavernier who has joined a rising harm record.
Clement: We should show they will beat Celtic
“We deserved to win [the last match against Celtic], we had the best chances and some other circumstances also,” Clement advised Sky Sports activities Information.
“The team has shown that. It is about showing that again and taking the three points.”
When requested if some followers had been proper to suppose if the season was already over as a consequence of Celtic’s lead within the league, he added: “No, for certain [that is] not [the case].
“We are going to fight for every game and every result. That is the duty of everybody and also what everybody wants.
“It’s a new squad, with a brand new long-term challenge, with younger gamers getting higher. It’s about having the starvation and want to win each recreation. That’s what this membership is about and that may by no means change.”
Rangers go into the game having lost at St Mirren and then drawing against Motherwell, with Clement adding: “Everyone who has seen the 2 video games towards Motherwell and St Mirren – we had been the group who deserved to win these video games with the quantity of probabilities that we had.
“We need to be more clinical and efficient and the luck needs to drop more than we had in those games.”
Rodgers: Celtic won’t soften up
Brendan Rodgers has gained 16 of his 20 Outdated Agency matches, dropping only one
The champions in the meantime are unbeaten of their final 27 league video games however Rodgers insists they’re taking nothing as a right towards a Gers aspect who’re coming beneath fireplace from their very own supporters.
“Listen, we will always assume the pressure,” the Northern Irishman mentioned. “We put ourselves under pressure in every game to win and to win well. So nothing changes in this aspect.
“We all the time keep in a humble approach to put together for video games. Individuals take a look at the hole, however that does not even come into it. We can’t soften up, we won’t soften up.
“We perform for the next game because we know how much this game means to people.
“I went there final season, the primary recreation, beneath stress and all of the issues. Now I’m going there with 14 factors… however there is no change for us, the mentality is to go and carry out and look to play our recreation.
“That pressure will always be there and especially a game at Ibrox with no supporters.”
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Celtic’s Paulo Bernardo seems to be forward to going through Rangers on January 2, stay on Sky Sports activities, and says the group are focusing on a good higher 2025 – regardless of solely dropping two video games this yr
After rising up in a Celtic-supporting household in Nation Antrim, Rodgers is aware of how a lot the fixture means to supporters whatever the context of the league desk.
“I understand the game – I understood it as a supporter – and I understood it from the first game I had as manager in September 2016,” he mentioned. “I’ve enjoyed every single one of them. The build-ups to them are always great.
“There’s all the time stress of some kind. I hear the discuss a ‘lifeless rubber’. There’s by no means a Rangers-Celtic recreation that is a lifeless rubber – not in my ebook.
“You want to win every game and you want to perform at the very best level. For me, I love the occasion, I love the game – it’s an iconic game and one that I always want to win.”
Rodgers has usually gained them, 16 in whole, and suffered just one defeat in 20 derbies. Victory on Thursday would imply he has loved a career-high 17 wins towards each Aberdeen and the Mild Blues, greater than towards some other membership.
Watch the Outdated Agency conflict stay on Sky Sports activities Soccer and Most important Occasion from 2pm on Thursday January 2, kick-off 3pm.
