Hoops set for critical derby day at Ibrox
ANGE POSTECOGLOU has backed his Celtic players to cope with an Ibrox cauldron – and says they have now got the firepower to blast them to the title.
The Parkhead club – three points clear at the top of the Premiership – face Rangers today in a critical Old Firm derby.
A Celtic victory will see Postecoglou get one hand on the trophy with just six league games left.
But they will have just 700 fans to Gers’ 50,000 in the stadium and on Postecoglou’s first visit to Govan in August he left with a 1-0 defeat.
The Celtic manager believes his team are a different proposition now, though, and insists they’ll handle the atmosphere.
With Japanese star Kyogo Furuhashi fit again, he’s confident that their “multiple threats” in attack can get them a positive result.
When asked about whether he can trust his Celtic players to deal with the Ibrox environment, Postecoglou said: “When you think about what we’ve had to deal with this year and the position we’re in right now, we’ve proved to be a pretty resilient group of players.
“You can’t do that unless you have a really strong mentality and have tackled every challenge in the right way.”
Meanwhile, Ryan Jack wants Rangers to put on a show for the Light Blues fans against the Hoops.
With another Old Firm league match at Parkhead to come after the split, midfielder Jack knows the importance of three points against their city rivals.
And he hopes to make home advantage count.
The Scotland star said: “We know it’s a big match and a big ask, but we’re in front of our fans in our own stadium.
“It’s important we put on a show and prove how much we want to fight from now until the end of the season.”