CELTIC BOSS NEIL LENNON is confident that he will be able field a side strong enough to see off rivals Rangers when the two sides clash at Ibrox tomorrow.
A little over month after their most recent league meeting, the two sides have been paired in the Scottish Cup fifth round for a “bonus” Old Firm match-up that Lennon freely admits he “could have done without at this stage of the season”.
Celtic come into the fixture on the back of an impressive string of league results, picking up four wins and draw from the five fixtures they have faced since slaying the ‘Gers at Ibrox on 2 January.
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Though adamant that his side are “not getting complacent or carried away,” Lennon is fully aware that victory in the New Year’s clash gave his players a timely confidence boost.
There’s no doubt that the last Old Firm victory was a huge fillip for the team. It gave them a lot of self-belief to go to Ibrox and to play well and beat Rangers. We kicked on from that and we’ve been very, very consistent since. That can all change and flip over in one or two games though.
Having featured in many Old Firm games himself during his playing days at Celtic, the former Northern Irish international knows just how easily the form-book can go out the window when the two Glasgow giants go toe-to-toe.
I know it’s an old cliche, but you never can tell with Old Firm games. Rangers at Ibrox is the most daunting fixture you can have in Scottish football. For the Old Firm, it’s a cauldron. It really is a different animal to the majority of other SPL games and that’s not being disrespectful to the other teams in the league.
One Rangers player who Lennon and his management team wouldn’t have factored into their gameplan last time out is Senagalese international El Hadji Diouf, a deadline-day loan recruit from Premier League Blackburn Rovers.
“He’s a decent player,” Lennon noted. “He should do the business for Rangers. Walter will know how to manage him and get the best out of him as most managers would do.”
According to the Celtic boss, the former Liverpool man won’t be subjected to any special treatment as a consequence of the spat he had with Celtic fans during a European tie in 2003.
“I didn’t even know there was a ‘Hadji Diouf factor’,” said Lennon. “That’s the first I’ve ever heard of it. We’ll have no special plans for him.”
Both sides still have a number of injury concerns ahead of the meeting at Sunday lunchtime. Defender Kirk Broadfoot and midfielder Lee McCulloch are out for Rangers, though striker Nikica Jelavic may yet prove his fitness in time to make some contribution.
Lennon will most likely wait to see the results of late fitness tests on Daniel Majstorovic , Glenn Loovens, Thomas Rogne, and Georgios Samaras before naming his side.
Firm resolve: Lennon prepared for "most daunting fixture" in Scottish football
CELTIC BOSS NEIL LENNON is confident that he will be able field a side strong enough to see off rivals Rangers when the two sides clash at Ibrox tomorrow.
A little over month after their most recent league meeting, the two sides have been paired in the Scottish Cup fifth round for a “bonus” Old Firm match-up that Lennon freely admits he “could have done without at this stage of the season”.
Celtic come into the fixture on the back of an impressive string of league results, picking up four wins and draw from the five fixtures they have faced since slaying the ‘Gers at Ibrox on 2 January.
Though adamant that his side are “not getting complacent or carried away,” Lennon is fully aware that victory in the New Year’s clash gave his players a timely confidence boost.
Having featured in many Old Firm games himself during his playing days at Celtic, the former Northern Irish international knows just how easily the form-book can go out the window when the two Glasgow giants go toe-to-toe.
One Rangers player who Lennon and his management team wouldn’t have factored into their gameplan last time out is Senagalese international El Hadji Diouf, a deadline-day loan recruit from Premier League Blackburn Rovers.
“He’s a decent player,” Lennon noted. “He should do the business for Rangers. Walter will know how to manage him and get the best out of him as most managers would do.”
According to the Celtic boss, the former Liverpool man won’t be subjected to any special treatment as a consequence of the spat he had with Celtic fans during a European tie in 2003.
“I didn’t even know there was a ‘Hadji Diouf factor’,” said Lennon. “That’s the first I’ve ever heard of it. We’ll have no special plans for him.”
Both sides still have a number of injury concerns ahead of the meeting at Sunday lunchtime. Defender Kirk Broadfoot and midfielder Lee McCulloch are out for Rangers, though striker Nikica Jelavic may yet prove his fitness in time to make some contribution.
Lennon will most likely wait to see the results of late fitness tests on Daniel Majstorovic , Glenn Loovens, Thomas Rogne, and Georgios Samaras before naming his side.
Lennon was in Dublin this week for the launch of the Dublin Super Cup. Read more about the summer tournament here.
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Celtic Scottish Cup Scottish Premiership El Hadji Diouf Ibrox Neil Lennon Old Firm Rangers Rivals SPL