Evening Telegraph (First Edition)
No talk of treble for bored Brown
CELTIC can move one step closer to winning their first trophy of the season when they face Rangers on Sunday but captain Scott Brown is not prepared to discuss a potential domestic treble.
The Hoops take on their Old Firm rivals in a Betfred Cup semi-final at the national stadium with the winners facing Aberdeen or Morton in the final.
Celtic, top of the Ladbrokes Premiership and on course for a sixth consecutive title, last captured all three domestic trophies under Martin O’Neill in 2001.
However, Brown said: “I think we have to focus one game at a time.
“A treble would be great but I have been talking about it for nine years now and I am getting a little bit bored, I keep talking about it and not doing it.
“But here’s hoping this could be the start of a great season for us.”
Rangers beat Celtic on penalties after a 2-2 draw in last season’s Scottish Cup semi-final at Hampden Park before losing the final to Hibernian.
However, the Ibrox men were hammered 5-1 at Celtic Park in the Premiership in September.
Gers captain Lee Wallace believes tactics will be key to deciding who returns to Hampden for the final.
He said: “C e l t i c ’s improvement since l ast season is clear.
“It will be a real tactical clash on Sunday.
“When you look back at Old Firm games in the past, it’s always been about tough tackling and fighting.
“I’m not saying we’re not prepared to do that but I think you’ll see now it’s becoming a real tactical fixture, a technical game where both teams try to impose their style, two good styles, head to head.
“I t hink i t ’s a really exciting game for Scottish football.”