I am immediately aware that I am going to cause offence by my vocabulary here, as someone will get upset about me using the word “Rangers”, and will tell me after the events of 2012 that I should know a lot better.

I may even, absent-mindedly use the phrase “Old Firm”! But let’s keep it simple. I mean the team that play in blue on the other side of the city – our opponents in the League Cup final, the new club not the deceased version which played its last game in 2012 but for the purposes of the Glasgow Derby Final we must consider Celtic’s record against both of their clubs.

The Scottish League Cup (and I am not calling this trophy by any other name, be it a TV channel, a soft drink or an alcoholic beverage) has seen the Glasgow rivals contest the final no fewer than 15 times (14 for the old Rangers and once for the Phoenix Rangers), and distressingly, we are losing 6-9 at the moment to whichever version we played in finals. Amazingly, all but two of the 15 games have been won or lost by the odd goal.

But we have the best victories, I think.

In the first place, there is the 7-1 game of blessed memory in 1957 with a hat-trick from Billy McPhail, two from Neil Mochan, and one each from Sammy Wilson and the penalty from Willie Fernie. (If VAR had been around in 1957, the score would only have been 6-1!)

Then there were Yogi’s two penalties in 1965 on the day that the boys in blue seemed to think that the League Cup had been presented to the wrong team and tried to take it from them.

Then came the first trophy of the Lisbon season with Lennox scoring the only goal of the game, and Willie O’Neill having his few minutes of fame by a brilliant clearance. Fast forward to the rain of December 1982 (nearly as bad as last Saturday night! And there was no shelter at the Celtic end in 1982!) and the goals of Charlie Nicholas and Murdo MacLeod.

Number five came in 2009 when Darren O’Dea scored in the first minute of extra time and Aiden McGeady notched a penalty in the last, and the final victory – the first against their new club – was the most recent one of Christopher Jullien scoring the goal and Alfredo Morelos missing the penalty.

Happy memories! But the Scottish League Cup is not our best and we still trail by seven in the amount of League Cups gained against their combination of football clubs. Nine of the old club’s victories were against us (the new club has never won the Scottish League Cup) and every one has been by the odd goal!

Controversy abounds with disputed penalties, John Hartson’s disallowed goal in 2003 which still hurts, and that surreal moment in 1986 when Maurice Johnston blessed himself (Remind me, which of the two teams was he playing for that day?) as he was sent off. Then Referee Syme sent someone else off and then changed his mind! Aye, it would have been so hilarious if it hadn’t been so sad!

And our defeats against other teams! Dundee and an unplayable pitch! Complacency and Partick Thistle! Raith Rovers and penalties! Oh no…best not to go there! Let’s think of the happy moments in the League Cup!

For the record the results against Rangers are are;

FINALS v RANGERS
1957-58 Celtic 7 Rangers 1
1964-65 Rangers 2 Celtic 1
1965-66 Celtic 2 Rangers 1
1966-67 Celtic 1 Rangers 0
1970-71 Rangers 1 Celtic 0
1975-76 Rangers 1 Celtic 0
1977-78 Rangers 2 Celtic 1 aet
1982-83 Celtic 2 Rangers 1
1983-84 Rangers 3 Celtic 2 aet
1986-87 Rangers 2 Celtic 1
1990-91 Rangers 2 Celtic 1 aet
2002-03 Rangers 2 Celtic 1
2008-09 Celtic 2 Rangers 0 aet
2010-11 Rangers 2 Celtic 1 aet

FINAL v theRANGERS
2019-20 Celtic 1 theRangers 0

Celtic have won the Scottish League Cup final 20 times – five against Rangers, three against Hibs, three against Aberdeen, two against Dundee United, one against Partick Thistle, Dundee, St Johnstone, Kilmarnock, Dunfermline, Motherwell and theRangers. Sunday 26 February would seem to be a good day to add to this total!

David Potter