BATTLE CRY
Rangers can sink Celtic, insists Ibrox star Miller
KENNY MILLER has fired the first salvo ahead of the Old Firm’s Scottish Cup semi- f i nal by declaring t hat promotionchasing Rangers have no reason to fear Premiership champions Celtic.
And he insists that Mark Warburton’s men can earn a crack at Europe by going on to lift the trophy.
Under-pressure Parkhead boss Ronny Deila gladly accepted the mantle of favourites with the bookies after his team were paired f or a Hampden showdown with their f i erce rivals following yesterday’s 3- 0 win over Morton.
But Miller, buoyed by Saturday’s 4-0 thrashing of Dundee at Ibrox, was adamant Rangers can avenge last year’s feeble League Cup semi-final defeat when the teams meet again on the weekend of April 16/17.
‘There was every chance we were going to get them at some point and, as we
said after the game yesterday, we don’t fear anyone,’ said the veteran striker. ‘Whoever we drew was just going to be standing in the way of our goal — which is to win the Scottish Cup. I’ve said all along we have to get past Celtic if we want to win it. ‘It will be a tough game, as all the games are. But I am fully confident, if we go about the job in the way we know we can, that we can get the right result.’ Miller’s vast experience — on both sides of the divide — could prove a vital resource to a squad completely overhauled since last year’s 2-0 defeat to Celtic. Yet he stressed: ‘There is only so much you can pass on to people — and I have said time and again we have a really good group. ‘They know what playing for Rangers is all about now — the penny has dropped really, really quickly, and you can see it in the way we play, when we score a goal and when the lads talk about it after a game. ‘This is the big game obviously when you are playing your local rivals, so the lads will be well prepared. They know what the game is about, we will be prepared and we will be ready.’ Before the draw was made, Miller insisted progress was such that the club now have realistic ambitions of winning the Cup and playing European football next season. ‘It’s a huge incentive for us, getting back to that level,’ he said. ‘If we can win the Scottish Cup this year, we might have got there a little bit earlier than we would have thought. ‘We’ll be looking to win it — it’s as simple as that.’ Manager Warburton stressed the need to achieve promotion first, saying: ‘Yes, it’s a game to look forward to, absolutely, but our priority has to be the league campaign. ‘The biggest game right now is Morton (on Friday night) and the biggest game after that will be the next league game. ‘It’s not going to be a “massive build-up” either in the camp — it’s going to be all about our league campaign, and when the game comes around, then we can focus on it at the right time. We won’t mention it until the week of it.’ Celtic striker Leigh Griffiths, who opened the scoring against Morton, was rather more excited than the Rangers boss, Tweeting: ‘What a draw ... let’s hope it’s the same result as last time. Few big games before that though... hopefully today was start of something.’ Boss Deila (above) said it was ‘fair’ his team started the semi as clear favourites, while ex-Celtic striker Frank McGarvey — who made the draw yesterday — believes all the pressure is on his old club. ‘I’ve got to go for Celtic but it will be a very, very, very hard game,’ he said. ‘Rangers beat Dundee 4-0 and Celtic couldn’t score a goal against Dundee. ‘But Celtic are the best team in the country. The leagues don’t lie. Celtic have a very strong squad. They’ve been together all season.’ Hibs or Inverness Caley Thistle, who drew 1-1 at Easter Road yesterday, will play Dundee United in the other semi-final.