Sunday sees Neil Lennon’s Hoops host Ibrox side Rangers at Parkhead in the Scottish Premiership Old Firm derby.
Ahead of Sunday’s Scottish Premiership Old Firm derby against Glasgow Rangers, Celtic winger Jonny Hayes has talked up his side’s mental resilience.
The Hoops will host Rangers at Parkhead this weekend hoping to effectively put the Ibrox side out of the title race for good, with 10 points separating the two as things stand.
Over the past few weeks, Celtic have secured several victories thanks to late goals, Odsonne Edouard netting in injury time against Dundee and Hearts, and Scott Brown doing so against Kilmarnock.
Hayes insists that Neil Lennon’s charges will treat the fixture against Gers as just another game and admits that their recent games have not been the most aesthetically pleasing at times, but he does think it has instilled a never-say-die attitude within the ranks.
Given Steven Gerrard’s side won the last fixture between the two, 1-0 at Ibrox on 29 December, one would think it would rankle within Celtic’s players, but Hayes says this is not the case – and the late wins have provided a boost for the side, he added.
“That last game was a long time ago,” the Irishman told Celtic View, as reported on the club’s website. “Things can change relatively quickly in football and we’re playing better now than we did in that game. Whether we won or lost that game, we’re not the kind of team to dwell on past results. It’s just another game for us and it’s the next so it’s the most important game.
“Last minute winners against Hearts and Dundee are big boosts for the team. It gives the team that mental resilience to know that, even if things aren’t going well, we’re still capable of nicking a winner in injury-time.”
Hayes was signed by Brendan Rodgers in 2017 (official website) but he has struggled for game time this term at Celtic, making just 11 Scottish Premiership appearances, according to Transfermarkt.
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