Both sides clash at Hampden Park in Scottish Cup action next week.
Celtic legend Didier Agathe has told The Glasgow Evening Times that next week’s Scottish Cup semi-final with Rangers should not be as hard to predict as it is.
Both Glasgow giants renew hostilities at Hampden Park next Sunday in what will be just the second Old Firm derby since 2012 – the Hoops beat them 2-0 in a Scottish League Cup semi last February.
Despite the Bhoys literally being in a different league than Mark Warburton’s side, victory over the Scottish Championship winners is anything but a foregone conclusion as Celtic continue to make hard work of making it five Premiership titles on the bounce, sitting five points ahead of second-placed Aberdeen.
Furthermore, the Gers, who were promoted to the Premiership this week, smashed top-flight side Dundee FC 4-0 in the previous round, and Agathe admits that predicting the clash is nowhere near as straight-forward as it should be.
“I think that one is 50-50 and we should not be saying that,” he said to The Glasgow Evening Times. “If this is a team who win the title playing a team from the lower league then it should be straightforward.
“But I think that Rangers now have the confidence and Celtic do not seem to have the same belief. I want Celtic to win and I think that they should – but there is a question mark there.”
Before that, Rangers can wrap up their second bit of silverware this week tomorrow by beating Peterhead in the Petrofac Training Cup final – a game which might also give them a chance to get a feel for the controversial playing conditions at Hampden Park ahead of meeting their bitter neighbours on the same pitch.
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