SNS GroupHampden Park is the stage for the biggest spectacle of the domestic season so far as Celtic and Rangers meet in the Premier Sports Cup final.
The Glasgow rivals will battle for the first silverware of the season in front of a sell-out crowd at the national stadium.
Rangers are defending the trophy they won last season in the early days of manager Philippe Clement’s reign but it’s been far from plain sailing for the Belgian since then.
Celtic went on to win the Premiership and Scottish Cup last season and have their eye on the one prize they didn’t claim under Brendan Rodgers last season.
The Parkhead side won the first meeting between the two this season, cruising to a 3-0 home victory, and are bookmakers’ favourites for Sunday’s clash but Rangers’ patchy form has had an upturn recently with four consecutive victories before Thursday’s thrilling 1-1 draw with Spurs at Ibrox.
Rangers have reached the final after progressing past a trio of Premiership sides in St Johnstone, Dundee and Motherwell.
Celtic were 3-1 winners over Hibs in the last 16, put five past a spirited Falkirk side in the quarter-finals and ended Aberdeen’s unbeaten start to the season with an emphatic 6-0 win at Hampden to book their place in the final.
SNS GroupAhead of Sunday’s game, both managers are keen to set aside previous results and form and concentrate on what can be achieved on the day.
Clement has yet to taste victory against Celtic in his time as Rangers manager but doesn’t think the five games he’s presided over so far will have any bearing on Sunday’s outcome.
“You speak about a lot of games in the last, let’s say year, with a lot of different players that we played,” he said on Friday.
“The team of last year, there are not so many players any more on the pitch.
“The team of the beginning of the season in September, a lot of new players have come in.
“So I’m not thinking about the past. I’m thinking about the next game, because the past is the past.
“You can speak also about all these (Rangers) teams who won the League Cup and you see it’s 28 times, but it will not change anything, because every time it is with another squad or other managers or whatever.
“So it’s about this game with these players.
“The key on Sunday is to score, to be efficient, to defend really well.
“Celtic is a team who’s really good on the ball, with a lot of quality players.
“We know, they showed that in the league, they showed in Europe.
“So we need to play a very mature game, well organised, but we need to play our football also and create our chances like we have done in last couple of weeks.”
SNS GroupCeltic boss Rodgers has enjoyed a stunning start to the season, with his side unbeaten in the league, close to progressing to the knockout stage of the new-look Champions League and now focused on having a real reward for their form.
Rodgers said: “Well, we don’t have it, so that is something that we didn’t take last season, and clearly it’s the first trophy of the season.
“We’ve had a brilliant season up until now, and this would be a great way to have something tangible to show for that.
“But you have to earn it, and that’s what we’re ready for.”
He added: “It’s always about dealing with expectation in these games, and how you can bring the level that you want to within the game.
“So, I think for Rangers, they’ll want to bring the level that they’ve been at over these last three or four games. For us, it’s about that consistency, which we’ve shown right the way through from our pre-season. We want to continue with that.
“But we don’t expect us to ever turn up and just think it’s a formality. It’s definitely not. Irrespective of the form, no matter what the form is going into a final, it’s a one-off game.
“But, two teams will feel happy, I’m sure. They’re in a good mood to go and play the game, and yes, I’m excited by it.”
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