‘He is doing well. Just for this game, I hope he can take his foot off the pedal!’
Celtic midfielder Bernardo on his ‘paused’ friendship with Rangers compatriot
FROM the moment they wore t heir country’s colours together for the first time as schoolboys, Paulo Bernardo and Fabio Silva have shared a close personal bond. During their rise through the age group levels of Portugal’s elite youth football programme, they also learned what it was like to be on opposite sides of an intense club rivalry with Benfica and Porto.
Just last month, Celtic midfielder Bernardo and Rangers striker Silva were brothers in arms once more when t hey enjoyed a highly successful international break with Portugal’s under-21s.
Both players were in scoring form in victories over the Faroe Islands and Croatia which kept t he Portuguese firmly on course to qualify for next year’s Euro Under21 finals in Slovakia.
Even as they revelled in the delight of those wins, however, Bernardo and Silva could not avoid sharing t heir anticipation of arguably the most significant fixture either of them has faced in their burgeoning careers.
They are poised to go head to head at Ibrox today in an Old Firm showdown which could go a long way to deciding which one of them ends the season as a Premiership title winner.
It is an occasion which Bernardo concedes has seen all regular lines of communication between the pair temporarily put on hold.
“We did speak to each other about it when we were playing for the national team last month,” said Bernardo. “We were both saying it will be a good game. I want Celtic to win, Fabio wants Rangers to win, so let’s see.
“We have a good relationship. When he arrived in Glasgow at first, we spoke. Then we spoke again when we met up with the national team.
“But there has been no contact between us this week. I don’t think we have shut down our friendship but it’s a great game and we are rivals. Off the pitch, me and Fabio are friends. But this week we are just focused on the game.
“We have known each other since under- 14 football. He played for Porto, the rival of Benfica where I began, and then he came to Benfica alongside me for two seasons.
“He then went back to Porto and we became rivals again but we still played together for the national youth teams all the way through the age groups. So we have known each other for quite a long time now.”
Bernardo led the way to Glasgow when he joined Celtic on a seasonlong loan from Benfica last summer.
Silva, signed by Wolves f rom Porto in a £35 million transfer four years ago, followed his compatriot north in January this year when Rangers secured him on loan for the second half of the campaign.
“I’m not surprised at how well Fabio has done,” added Bernardo. “I’ve always thought he is a good player. When he came to Rangers, I thought it would be good for him and for the team too.
“I think he’s doing well. Just for this game, though, I hope he can take his foot off the pedal!
“Fabio is strong, he is fast. He presses a lot. Technically, he is a good player and he finishes well. So we have to take care of him on Sunday.”
Bernardo savoured a memorable Old Firm debut i n December, scoring a brilliant opening goal in Celtic’s 2- 1 win over Philippe Clement’s side at Parkhead.
“It was nice to score, it was a good goal,” smiled the 22-year-old. “The atmosphere at t he game was surprising for me. I’d already heard before the match that it was a huge game. It was good, I really enjoyed it a lot. We have to prepare ourselves to do it again.
“We are feeling good and feeling confident. I think it’s going to be a good game. We prepare for this game like we do for any other. It’s three points on the road. We play every game to win. It’s one game, not a final.
“I don’t think it’s decisive because we have a lot of other games. We have to win all of the games to win the title.
“I think it’s a huge game but it’s not decisive. So it’s the same for every game, we have to prepare ourselves the best we can to play nice football and win the game.”
Bernardo plays down Celtic’s dominant recent record in the Old Firm fixture with boss Brendan Rodgers boasting an especially impressive tally of just one defeat in his 15 games against Rangers.
“That’s good but every game is just one game,” said Bernardo. “The past is the past. We have to build again for the future.
“We expect to f ace a great opponent but we still want to win the game. Rangers are a good team too. They are our rivals, so they have to be good too to play against us. So let’s see.
“I think the team is confident. Some players have come back from injury, so it’s good for the group.
“There is a lot of competition for places in the group and that’s good for the team. I think it’s a great team that we have. Everyone will give the best of themselves to play good football.”
The return from injury last week of Reo Hatate and the availability once more of captain Callum McGregor this weekend following his recent absence may diminish Bernardo’s hopes of a place in Celtic’s starting line-up today.
He is nonetheless enthusiastic in welcoming t he pr ospect of McGregor being back at the heart of operations for the champions at such a crucial stage of the season.
“Callum is our leader so it’s always good to have him back on the team,” he said. “He is always a good option for us, to put us together on the field.
“He is the voice of the team. We have some other important players but Cal is our captain and it’s really good to have him back.
“It’s good timing. It gives us more confidence and more quality too. He’s a great player as well as a great captain.”
There has been no contact between us this week. I don’t think we have shut down our friendship, but it’s a great game and we are rivals. Off the pitch, me and Fabio are friends. But this week we are just focused on the game