The Celtic Star’s Glasgow Derby Predictions – Welcome back Niall J!
Here’s my prediction for the weekend. A Tavernier penalty and a Kyogo double in a come from behind 2-1 win. Nae bother pal…
Well, we’ve got no chance, do we? That appears to be the media narrative ahead of this Glasgow Derby. The latest club to play out of Ibrox have home advantage and their position is further strengthened by the absence of Celtic’s legendary twelfth man.
Add to that the SFA have ensured theRangers have their own twelfth man in the shape of John Beaton, a thirteenth running the line, a fourteenth positioned in a Clydebank portacabin and a forelock-tugger positioned between the two technical areas.
The ducks are in a row you might say.
So, this is going to be difficult – it would be churlish to suggest otherwise – but Celtic have a couple of things going for them that it could be suggested the opposition would exchange their assembled tanks on the Ibrox lawn for.
A manager with 12 wins and only one loss in 15 Glasgow derbies – and one who has already defeated two Ibrox gaffers this season – alongside a striker who visits Conor Goldson in his dreams, whispers past glories in his ear and has his wife mopping the gathered sweat from his sleep interrupted brow.
Celtic’s difference makers this weekend will be Brendan Rodgers and Kyogo Furuhashi and it is a backhanded compliment to both that Scottish football’s establishment has recognised intervention is absolutely necessary.
For Celtic, this is a team at last in some coherent and consistent form, in a season where mainly injuries, but also poor decision making at boardroom level surrounding player recruitment and woeful underestimation of supporter banishment on performances has impacted our ability to build up and then sustain a healthy lead at the top of the table.
Of late the support has circled the wagons, Rodgers seems to have found his mojo again, the substitutes bench is starting to smack of strength in depth and the casualty list has cleared up to the point the missing piece of the jigsaw may be about to slot into place with the news our captain is back in training.
Let them have their assembled hired help, Celtic have been here, done it and know what it takes to emerge with the win. In big games our Bhoys are rarely found wanting. Rightly or wrongly their game is raised for these encounters and many already know they have the beating of their opposite number.
It will be tough; the direct opponent will not be the only obstacle but it has often been that way and we have many in the squad who will ensure those without experience are more than prepared for the challenge.
Celtic will overcome all the hurdles put in our way. And after Tavernier slots home his inevitable penalty it will be a double from Kyogo that ensures Mrs Goldson will go to bed on Sunday night with a cold compress handily placed on the bedside table.
Niall J
