Paulo and Fabio are the best of enemies

WHO’LL HAVE THE LAST LAUGH?: Bernardo and Silva are both desperate for victory today

PAULO BERNARDO and Fabio Silva have shared both a close friendship and a fierce rivalry ever since they started making their way through the elite echelons of Portuguese youth football. They have been on opposite sides of their country’s most feted club divide with Benfica and Porto.

In their country’s colours, they have been team-mates from the day they made their international debuts together as schoolboys.

As recently as last month, Celtic midfielder Bernardo and Rangers striker Silva were side by side again when they enjoyed a successful international break with Portugal’s Under-21s.

Both players were in scoring form in victories over the Faroe Islands and Croatia which kept the Portuguese firmly on course to qualify for next year’s Euro Under-21 finals in Slovakia.

Even as they shared the joy of those wins, however, the duo were casting their minds forward to arguably the most significant fixture either of them has faced in their burgeoning careers so far.

Bernardo and Silva will be in opposite corners at Ibrox today for a keenly-anticipated Old Firm showdown which could go a long way to deciding which one of them ends the season as a Premiership title winner.

It’s an occasion Bernardo admits when the pair temporarily suspend their regular lines of communication.

‘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, Fabio and I are friends. But this week we are both 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 blazed the trail to Glasgow when he joined Celtic on a season-long loan from Benfica last summer.

Silva, signed by Wolves from Porto in a £35million 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.

‘I think he is doing well. Just for this game, though, I hope he can take his foot off the pedal! Fabio is strong and fast. He presses a lot. Technically, he is good and he finishes well. So we must take care of him on Sunday.’

Bernardo savoured a memorable Old Firm debut in December, scoring a brilliant opening goal in Celtic’s 2-1 win at Parkhead.

‘It was nice to score, it was a good goal,’ smiled the 22-yearold. ‘The atmosphere at the 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 confident. I think it will 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.

‘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.’

Celtic have dominated the Old Firm fixture in recent years with Brendan Rodgers enjoying an especially impressive record 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 face 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 our 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 we have a great team. Everyone will give the best of themselves to play good football.’

The return from injury last week of Reo Hatate and the availability again of captain Callum McGregor following his recent absence may diminish Bernardo’s hopes of a place in Celtic’s starting line-up today.

He is nonetheless unequivocal in welcoming the prospect 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 again

‘It’s good timing. It gives us more confidence and more quality. He’s a great player as well as a great captain.’