Celtic winger Sebastian Tounekti preparing for ‘fight’ at Rangers

Celtic winger Sebastian Tounekti is preparing for a battle at Ibrox as he gets set for his first Old Firm derby in the league.

The Tunisia international started in Celtic’s Premier Sports Cup extra-time semi-final win over Rangers, which saw nine yellow cards and a red for Light Blues midfielder Thelo Aasgaard.

Having been away on Africa Cup of Nations duty during Celtic’s New Year derby defeat, he is now braced for Sunday’s trip to Ibrox.

The former Hammarby player said: “Everyone told me about the big games there, but of course I already knew about it before I came here.

“I think everyone knows about the game, it’s maybe one of the biggest matches in the world. Everybody knows about the game, but we know that it’s really important for ourselves, but also for everyone around the club.

“For me it was quite an experience. At Hampden, a semi-final, it was a big game. I remember there were many duels, many yellow cards, intense. That’s why I also expect on Sunday that it’s going to be like that.

“As a player you have to be ready to fight, because it’s going to be a war.

“I’ll benefit from having had the experience already at Hampden Park. It’s a hard game to play, but I think as a player you just have to be ready mentally.

“As I said, because it’s going to be a fight from the first minute, it’s going to be a lot of duels, intense. We just have to be ready for that.”

Celtic go into the game in third place in the William Hill Premiership, two points behind their Glasgow rivals with a game in hand, but both are chasing leaders Hearts.

Tounekti said: “I think it’s important to see that there are lots of games to play. Still after the game on Sunday, there are so many games to play, so many points to play for.

“We know that it’s a massive game, but it’s also massive for everyone around the club. We want to go there and to show to ourselves that we can win big games, but also to show to the fans that we play for them also.”