Glasgow Derby Predictions, 7 & 8 – High hopes that Hatate will make the difference

Our two Irish lads James French and Conall McGinty give their Glasgow Derby assessments and scoreline predictions..

Clement was coy and bullish, Rodgers was much calmer and cleverer

Celtic and theRangers are separated by just a single point in the league table. But both clubs are divided by more points, as we all know.

The build up to the game this week has seemed unusually quiet compared to previous Glasgow Derby’s, even more unusual considering this Sunday stands as the biggest game between Scotland’s top two in half a decade.

Phillipe Clement spoke of wanting passionate players, “not mathmeticians”, while Brendan Rodgers emphasised the importance of calm heads.

Clement was coy and bullish in his pre-match comments, pointing to the fact his Rangers side have scored more and conceded less than Celtic since the last game between the two, while Rodgers was much calmer and cleverer in his pre-game presser.

The Irishman spoke of “not getting entrenched in the whole storyline”, staying calm but also attacking the game, in defence and attack. Celtic have epitomised the perfect balance between staying calm but also playing on the front foot in both Glasgow derby games this season. This Celtic team may not have the vintage aura that previous sides have possessed, but what they do possesses is a manager who thrives in these games.

Rodgers has managed in 15 fixtures against theRangers, winning 12, drawing twice and losing just once.

Predicting the outcome in these games is nailed on impossible, but I will attempt to do so regardless. Kyogo Furuhashi has played a big part in both games versus theRangers this season and last, but I expect his Japanese compatriot Reo Hatate to prove to be the difference on Sunday.

Celtic will be given space and opportunities to hurt theRangers in transitions, and regardless of Hatate’s tendency to give possession away, he has the quality to pick holes in theRangers’ defensive structure. I think that theRangers will probably score tomorrow, but I expect Celtic to win regardless.

Prediction: Rangers 1-2 Celtic
Scorers: Hatate, Idah

James French

Celtic Players, management and supporters laser focused on success 

I’m feeling really confident heading into this one. After a rather disappointing season so far things seem to be aligning at exactly the right time for Celtic, with long term absentees returning from injury and the players all starting to hit form just in time for what looks like being a blockbuster run in.

The atmosphere around the club has been positive recently with fan grievances with the board put aside until the end of the season, it seems that the players, our management team and the fans are all laser focused on making this a successful campaign.

Meanwhile Celtic FC Foundation, the charitable arm of Celtic Football Club, has made a donation of £6600 to meet the £40k target required to allow Scotland’s men’s national deaf team to play in this year’s European Championships in Turkey. Read the full story on Celtic Shorts, link the article below….

ON CELTIC SHORTS…“A huge round of applause to Celtic FC for their kindness,” Scottish Deaf FA