Rangers must do their talking on the pitch to end Celtic Treble dreams

Victory over Celtic on Sunday would all-but guarantee that the Scottish Cup will reside in the Ibrox Trophy Room for another season. In a term where the dark clouds have gathered, it would be a much-need silver lining.

Three Old Firm fixtures have yielded two losses and a draw that felt like a defeat for Michael Beale. Nothing more than a win will do at Hampden.

There was a sense at Auchenhowie on Friday afternoon that Rangers were not willing to tempt fate. The semi-final needs no hyperbole as a fixture or an occasion but neither Beale or Borna Barisic were there to add fuel to the fire at their pre-match press conference.

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It was perhaps the closest that Beale has kept his cards to his chest all season. He could not avoid the significance of the match or the potential ramifications but there was no bombast from the Englishman as he also discussed his work in terms of recruitment, the injury situation at Ibrox and the Hampden pitch.

Just minutes beforehand, Barisic had cut a calm, composed figure in front of the cameras. When he spoke again to the written media in the reception area of the training ground, he was cognisant that the messaging had to be consistent before a ball is kicked.

“This season is different, every season is different," Barisic said when asked for a comparison between Beale's side right now and the one that beat Celtic at this stage of the competition 12 months ago. “I don’t want to talk too much as we are in a different situation.

"It is easy to say words about beating them. We haven't won the last three Old Firm games but that doesn't mean our heads are down.

“We are not a bad team but on this occasion we will not talk about things we want to do. We are confident and we think we can win but we need to show it on the pitch.

“I don’t think [we have talked too much in the past]. We have lost two of the last three games against them so we can't say too much.

“We had some success against them last time but also some obvious mistakes. That is all part of the game and sometimes you can't avoid them."

The observation from Barisic that Rangers owe their supporters a result on Sunday was put to Beale. An answer of 'I wouldn’t disagree' was uncharacteristically short but still spoke volumes.

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Losing the League Cup final in February was the first setback of the Beale era. The second followed at Parkhead as the Premiership title was taken outwith their reach and Beale is in need of a derby win for his own reasons as much as his players are for theirs.

This is a squad that has delivered the highs of title 55 and the run to Seville that was followed by a long-awaited Scottish Cup success. Should it fail this weekend, it is one that will have to watch Celtic celebrate a clean sweep once again.

“To be fair I don't think too much about that because I want to win a trophy for this club," Barisic said. "That is the way we look at it.

“I don’t know about players leaving but this is the last opportunity for us to win a trophy this season.

“I can see that people are very motivated about that and we need to show that Sunday.

“We have had opportunities to win and we didn't win. That is bad of course.

“But, that can motivate us now and for the future. You need a lot of things to go right to win a trophy because it is not just about one game."

The defeat to Aberdeen last weekend was hardly the ideal preparation for Rangers but the work at Auchenhowie in recent days has been focused on the next hurdle rather than the last one.

READ MORE: Rangers boss Michael Beale in Hampden pitch call ahead of Celtic clash

Barisic spoke about having a 'special feeling' during his own build-up for the Hampden showdown. He is one of the most experienced players in Beale's squad and needs no reminding about the significance of the Old Firm, both on and off the park.

After losing at Parkhead earlier this month, Barisic was seen mouthing a response to a Celtic fan as the Rangers players left the front door of the stadium. Such a situation won't intimidate the Croatian.

“They are amongst the most intense but I have also played in a World Cup, which is pressure," Barisic said of the Old Firm fixtures. “That is why you are a Rangers player. If you cannot handle the pressure then you are in the wrong place.

“I love everything about the rivalry. Even when we go there for an away game and they are shouting at us, I like that.

“I think it is magical and that motivates me. I like to be against 60,000.

“Someone was saying bad things at me [after the last game] and I don't like that. I reacted but on the streets I may react even more. But, we are not on the streets and I represent this club."

The best way to silence opposition supporters is, of course, to emerge victorious at Hampden. If Rangers can achieve that ambition, their own fans will finally have something to celebrate this term.

That semi-final victory a year ago is the last time that Rangers have won an Old Firm fixture and the importance of the fifth meeting of the campaign cannot be understated for an Ibrox squad that has seen the balance of power shift back across the city in recent times.

“The answer is yes, of course," Barisic said when asked if Rangers had anything to prove against Celtic. "We must always compete against them. In this country it’s either them or us.

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“This is a big game and an opportunity for us to prove we are better than them. We will try to do that.

“Obviously this season it has not been the case but Sunday is different, it’s a semi-final. It’s one game and of course it is always 50-50.

“We’ve analysed our last three games since the manager came here and we know where we’ve made mistakes.

“But in the last game at Celtic Park we played much better than the game before, the final.

“We did some positive things and also some things that we will try to avoid this time."

A successful defence of the Scottish Cup would give Rangers a foundation to build on over the summer as Beale prepares to unveil his blueprint and overhaul the Ibrox squad ahead of next term.

Barisic has seen his efforts this season recognised after being nominated - alongside James Tavernier and Malik Tillman - for the club's Player of the Year prize. He chose not to talk up his own credentials but was more forthcoming about those who could join up to reinforce Rangers.

“Yes, I’ve thought about that a lot these last few weeks," Barisic said. "We know our situation is not good but I see the people behind the scenes working to make us stronger next season, to give us a better, deeper squad.

“That’s why I’m very positive because they’re doing incredible things. Of course we need a lot of things to come together to win the league.

“But I see a lot of positive things and with a good pre-season, with some good players coming in we will be competitive I think."