Given that Celtic have bulged more nets than a fishing trawler this season, there are not many who would put money on this weekend’s derby match with old foes Rangers being a cagey 0-0.
With the prolific Moussa Dembele lashing them in left, right and centre – he has 32 in the campaign so far – Celtic possess the kind of withering fire power you’d tend to get from a fully armed machine gun pillbox. Rangers will need to fortify their defences and, while they hit the goal trail themselves at the weekend with a 6-0 rout of Hamilton, Frank McAvennie, the former Celtic poacher, believes his old team will be relentless in the assault on their city rivals this weekend. The fact the two teams have also been drawn together in the William Scottish Cup semi-finals only adds to the usual fever and frenzy.
In a season of complete and utter authority on the domestic front, the Celtic fans have probably not been shy in recalling events of 60 years ago when Rangers were crushed by a record-setting margin of 7-1 in the League Cup final of 1957.
Presumably, Brendan Rodgers, the Celtic manager, will be aware of that dreadful tanking too? “Of course he will and he’ll be thinking ‘let’s see if we can beat them 7-0 or 8-0’,” said McAvennie, who was on the receiving end of an Old Firm walloping himself back in 1988 when Rangers bounced back from his opening goal to surge to a 5-1 win. “I know supporters will get excited and talk about things like seven or eight, but I don’t think the manager will be disrespectful to Rangers.
“He’ll just want to go and win the game but if they can get the game done then it might be a case of thinking, ‘let’s kick on and get a few’. I remember the League Cup semi-final (in 2015 when Celtic won 2-0). In fairness to the players, the pitch was atrocious, and I could understand them maybe taking the foot off the pedal that day. There’s no way Celtic will do that under Brendan.
“If they are in the same position this time around and are a couple ahead at half-time, I could see them going on and getting four or five. I don’t think it’s in Brendan’s make up to just shut up shop.
“You hear him talking about scoring goals and setting records. That’s the way it should be. If you are winning games then you have to set your sights on something. They will be challenging themselves to be as good as they can be. If Moussa scores another three Celtic will need to buy him a bigger house to keep all of these match balls he is getting.”
Quite simply then, McAvennie doesn’t expect the Celtic juggernaut to be halted this weekend.
“Usually, when it comes to the special atmosphere of an Old Firm game, anything can happen but I can’t see Celtic slipping up under Brendan,” he said.
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