Opinion: How Celtic can repeat recent derby success in cup tie

Celtic go into this weekend’s Scottish Cup semi-final with Rangers on the back of a 33-game unbeaten domestic run, which sees the team at the top of the Premiership table.

That run of results has included two wins over Rangers, with an aggregate score of 5-1, which have helped turned Celtic’s season around from what at one stage looked to be a poor campaign back in August and September.

Ange Postecoglou and his players deserve a lot of credit for how they have performed, but now it is time to go again and reach the final of the Scottish Cup next month.

How can Celtic look to defeat Rangers for the third time in a row in the year 2022? By not allowing the Ibrox side to settle into the game.

If Celtic can get an early goal like the team did in the 3-0 win back in February, it could allow the Hoops to control the game from the off, and dictate what happens for the remainder of the match.

Celtic have shown in the 2-1 win at Ibrox earlier this month that the team can overcome adversary by recovering from a goal down, but the last thing that Postecoglou will want is his team conceding an early goal.

That could allow Rangers to put men behind the ball and make them hard to break down, which could be fatal in a cup tie. 

Even though there are differences between a cup tie and a league game, you wouldn’t expect the Celtic boss to change how he approaches the game, he will look to get the Hoops on the front foot from the first whistle, as that is the type of football that he likes to play.

Rangers will go into the game with confidence after their win over Braga, but the 120 minutes they played on Thursday night could eventually help Celtic, as if the Rangers players tire, Celtic could make changes to take advantage of that, but that remains to be seen.

It likely won’t be an easy game for the Hoops, the recent match at Ibrox was tough, and the Bhoys needed to work hard for the victory. That is likely to be the same at Hampden.

Celtic fans won’t care about the type of game it is as long as the Hoops are victorious in the end, and Ange Postecoglou will have been working hard this week with his players to find a way to win the game.

Only time will tell if the Hoops go on to win the game and the Scottish Cup, but Celtic know how to win Glasgow derbies, and that could pay off in the semi-final.