Brendan Rodgers admits his Celtic team will head to Ibrox on Sunday to silence their critics - yet again.
The Northern Irishman has conceded that the 'storyline' surrounding his side will differ from that of Rangers, despite both teams going into this weekend's derby with almost identical recent form.
The 51-year-old insists this was the case back in September prior to the first encounter between the teams this season, when Kyogo scored as the champions ran out 1-0 winners at Ibrox.
Celtic lead the title race by a single point having played a game more, so there's plenty to play for on Sunday with the battle between Glasgow's big two set to go down to the wire.
"I think it was a great lesson not only in football but in life," he told Sky Sports. "When we arrived in the game, individually and collectively we were written off in that game. Rangers were on the up, they were ready for us.
"We had players missing, but we showed collectively that if you stay together and you focus, work hard and play to your level, then you'll always be in with a chance to be the victor and that was the case.
READ MORE: John Beaton branded 'one of the best' by Celtic manager
"I thought that was a very, very good win for us in a hostile environment. Obviously in the home game, we win a little bit more comfortably than the scoreline suggested, but still, we could play better.
"We go into this game with the same intention and probably a similar narrative and similar storyline. Both teams are coming in with four victories and one loss in their last five games, but the narrative around Celtic will always feel a little bit like we're behind. So that's okay. It's an opportunity for us and we look forward to taking that."
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel