Celtic v Rangers: Danny Rohl has respect for Martin O'Neill but has belief ahead of Old Firm semi-final

Rangers head coach Danny Rohl says there’s real belief in his side ahead of the Old Firm semi-final against Celtic on Sunday.

The teams meet at Hampden in the last four of the Premier Sports Cup with both having suffered difficult starts to the season and seen managerial changes after just a few months.

Rohl has only been in charge for three games since being appointed as successor to Russell Martin but has delivered back-to-back wins over Hibernian and Kilmarnock in the Premiership.

Now the former Sheffield Wednesday boss faces his first derby, his toughest test at Rangers so far and will go head to head with Celtic’s interim manager Martin O’Neill.

Though O’Neill’s last Old Firm game in the dugout was over 20 years ago, the veteran coach had a 75% win rate in the fixture and will bring a huge amount of experience to the table when he pits his wits against Rohl.

The Rangers head coach said he had respect for his opposite number but that the teams would start level at the national stadium.

“It feels big respect to such a coaching career,” Rohl said. “I think this is always great as a manager when you work so long in this business and you are successful. I think this is great.

“I’m just at the beginning of my career. I have a lot of work to do to come to this point and from this year. But the good thing is we start at 0-0, different generations, and let’s see what we can bring with our teams in this game.”

Rohl dismissed comments O’Neill made recently while working as a pundit about Rangers being “far adrift” in the title race and said his focus was on his own team and not the opinion of others. And he likes what he has seen from the squad, where he sees real confidence and belief ahead of a huge test.

“We could have a great week with three wins in a row,” he said. “I think it would be fantastic.

“Of course, you feel it today as well in the meeting room, you feel it on the pitch, in the training room. At the moment, the positive energy is really back, the belief is there.

“We watched [the win over Hibs] back in the morning, I showed them some clips of what we did, which effort we had in the game, willingness, character, good structure against the ball. Even in the second half, we had not always so much ball possession, but it doesn’t matter because they could not really break our last line and it was a great job.

He added: “It’s always good when you feel that the ideas come straight to results. I said in the morning to my coach it would be good to play my first game again. Maybe we would take a different result.

“I feel this at the moment, but of course it’s up to my players at the moment. I can give them a lot of ideas, but they are really listening and they bring it with a good character on the pitch, and I think it’s fantastic to see. But even we know it’s just two steps forward, not more.”

Rohl has experienced the Sheffield derby as a manager, and was an assistant at Bayern Munich for big games including Der Klaskier against Borussia Dortmund but he is looking forward to the special atmosphere of an Old Firm clash.

“Yeah, very exciting,” he said. “I think I had some experience, but I expect a big, big one on Sunday.

“I think this is why we love this game, to be part of such a game. It’s all or nothing. You win, you come in the final, you lose, you’re out.

“I think everything is on for a great, great game.”