7 strikes in 8 derbies but goal machine Moussa is exactly the kind of test Gers need
Hill says facing old nemesis is ideal prep for his ex-team-mates
CELTIC players are buzzing about the prospect of a reunion with former strike hero Moussa Dembele in France this week.
But Rangers stars could be forgiven for feeling trepidation ahead of their meeting with the Lyon frontman.
Old Firm derby specialist Dembele was the scourge of the Ibrox side with seven goals against them during his two seasons at Parkhead.
And since his £20million departure from Glasgow, the 24-year-old has taken to tormenting the Ibrox legions on social media after admitting he loves winding up Gers fans with cheeky Twitter posts.
Yet the test against Dembele could be a useful one for Steven Gerrard’s men to show how much they have progressed in the two seasons since he left.
Rangers skipper James Tavernier is the only member of Gerrard’s current squad who regularly suffered at the hands of Dembele with Ryan Jack coming up against him for all of 10 minutes in a 2-0 defeat at Ibrox under Pedro Caixinha.
But there has been a change since Dembele left on the eve of his fellow Frenchman Olivier Ntcham making it a dozen derbies without defeat with the only goal at Parkhead in September 2018.
There have been six meetings since that fixture and Rangers have won half of them, albeit one coming after Celtic had already won the league.
So Dembele is likely to see a different Rangers in the Groupama Stadium in tomorrow’s Veolia Trophy opener. Rudi Garcia’s men have a French Cup Final against Dembele’s former club PSG to look forward to at the end of the month as well as the second leg of their last-16 Champions League clash with Juventus in August.
Former Ibrox defender Clint Hill knows better than most the pain inflicted by Dembele but thankfully was on the bench the day the Frenchman became the first Celt to score a derby hat-trick in the league since Stevie Chalmers in 1966.
Rob Kiernan and Philippe Senderos, sent off with 15 minutes left, were given the runaround that day but Hill was in for the next game at Hampden when Dembele netted a late winner in the Betfred Cup semi-final.
Hill knows the threat he’ll pose but reckons that could be a good thing for Rangers in terms of preparation for a huge season. Hill told
He always seemed to be in the right place, at the right time, especially against us
CLINT HILL
Record Sport: “Dembele achieved a lot in Scotland. There’s no doubt he’s a topquality player and is revered by Celtic supporters after his part in the success during those glory years.
“He has returned to France and done very well so it will be a really good test for Rangers to come up against him again.
“You have to give respect to a player like that. I’m not going to say he was rubbish! He’s a good player and was a handful.
“Dembele always seemed to have a knack of being in the right place at the right time, especially against us, which isn’t great. But for that reason I can’t go against my judgment and say he was anything other than a very good player.
“He had good attributes and has shown that again at Lyon. He’ll be a handful, it’ll be a good test to see where the lads are at.
“Rangers will just want a good performance against a very good team and set their stall out early, even if it is a pre-season friendly, ahead of a big season for the club.”
Hill knows how much players can lose their touch during lockdown after his Fleetwood Town side went down 6-3 on aggregate to Wycombe Wanderers in the English League One play-off semi-final.
The former defender, now assistant to fellow ex-Ger Joey Barton at Highbury Stadium, will be interested to see how the Rangers players look, particularly those in his old defensive position.
With Niko Katic injured, Connor Goldson and Filip Helander are expected to be the first-choice central pairing.
Gers’ first game since their Europa League loss at home to Bayer Leverkusen in mid-March was a 2-1 friendly win against Hamilton behind closed doors.
Hill added: “It’s about getting your eye back in, the timing of your headers and tackles, your awareness of space on the pitch. You lose those things when you haven’t been in competitive action for months which we certainly found.
“I haven’t seen enough of Helander, he came in and got a run of games before he picked up his injury and then it was Connor and Niko with George Edmundson fighting for the spot. I like Edmundson. Maybe it’s his time to shine with the huge blow of Katic’s injury.
“I’ll be interested to see if they do strengthen, it’s hard to go into a season with three fit centre-backs.
“I know Calvin Bassey can play in the centre but it would be a big ask considering he was signed primarily as a left-back to ask him at his age to go straight into the heart of defence as first choice.
“I’m guessing he’s more of a back-up as it would be tough for a kid and there’s a lot of responsibility on Connor’s shoulders.”