Caixinha focused on lifting trophy

Rangers manager Pedro Caixinha is focused on harnessing a winning mentality ahead of the William Hill Scottish Cup semi-finals rather than concerning himself with the challenge of stopping Celtic.

Celtic look to take another step towards completing the final leg of a treble when they take on Rangers at Hampden on Sunday. But Caixinha is more interested in his own team’s mentality than with halting Celtic.

“We are thinking about having one more trophy for the club, I’m not thinking about the opponent,” he told Rangers TV.

“We are not thinking about what the opponent has already won this season, we are thinking about ourselves.

“This club is about winning and winning means to get trophies. We are almost at the end to get one so that’s the only thought we need to have on Sunday.”

Caixinha got his first taste of Glasgow’s famous derby when he watched from the Celtic Park stands as caretaker boss Graeme Murty led Rangers to a 1-1 draw, 24 hours after the Portuguese coach was appointed.

And Caixinha, who has managed teams in Mexico and Qatar, is relishing taking a more involved role.

“Derbies are great and especially on those occasions, not only on a regular stage when you get these confrontations, but especially in these stages like semi-finals and finals,” he said.

“In Portugal we played with two legs in the semi-finals and we reached semi-finals with Santos Laguna, we reach a lot of finals and we win also some finals.

“So I’m used to it and I love these type of games at these knockout stages when you need to win – it is the only option.

“I’m used to it, I’m loving it, and it doesn’t have to be a derby.

“These games you are supposed to win and you just need to be prepared to win and get ready to do your job.”

Pedro Caixinha: first derby as Rangers manager.