Philip Clement insists Rangers' season is far from over ahead of Thursday's Old Firm clash, while Brendan Rodgers has vowed Celtic will not “weaken” despite holding a 14-point lead in the Scottish Premiership.
Latest installment of this match – Live on Sky Sports – It comes weeks after the two teams met in the controversial League Cup final Which Celtic won on penalties.
Clement insists the defeat at Hampden Park proves Rangers can beat the champions, with the Scottish FA's refereeing chief admitting afterwards. They should have gotten a penalty in extra time When the score was level 3-3.
However, if the Belgian wants to get a much-needed win in this match, he will need to do so without Captain James Tavernier, who joined the growing list of injuries.
Clement: We have to prove they can beat Celtic
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Philippe Clement believes his side have proven their ability to take on Celtic and insists their season is not over yet despite trailing their rivals by 14 points heading into Thursday's match.
“We deserved to win (the last match against Celtic), we had the best chances and some other circumstances as well,” Clement said. Sky Sports News.
“The team has shown that. It's about showing that again and getting the three points.”
When asked if some fans were right to think the season was already over due to Celtic being top in the league, he added: “No, definitely (that) is not (the matter).”
“We will fight for every match and every result. This is everyone's duty and what everyone wants as well.
“It's a new team, with a new long-term project, with improving young players. It's about hunger and the desire to win every game. That's what this club is about and it will never change.”
Rangers enters the match after losing to St Mirren and then drawing against Motherwell, and Clement added: “Everyone who watched the two matches against Motherwell and St Mirren – we were the team that deserved to win these two matches with the number of chances that they had.” We had it.
“We need to be more effective and efficient and luck has to decline more than it was in those games.”
Rodgers: Celtic will not relent
Brendan Rodgers won 16 of his 20 Old Firm matches, losing just one
Meanwhile, the defending champions are unbeaten in their last 27 league games, but Rodgers insists they are not taking anything for granted against a Gers side who are under fire from their supporters.
“Listen, we will always take the pressure,” the Northern Irishman said. “We put ourselves under pressure every game to win and win well. So nothing changes in that aspect.
“We always stay humble to prepare for games. People look at the gap, but that doesn't get into that. We can't relent, we won't relent.
“We are performing in the next match because we know how important this match is to people.
“I went there last season, in the first game, under pressure and all the things. Now I go there with 14 points… but there's no change for us, the mentality is to go and perform and look to play our game.”
“That pressure will always be there especially the game at Ibrox without fans.”
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Celtic's Paulo Bernardo looks forward to facing Rangers on January 2, live on Sky Sports, and says the team are targeting a better 2025 – despite losing just two games this year.
Having grown up in a Celtic supporting family in Country Antrim, Rodgers knows how important the game is to fans regardless of the context of the league table.
“I understand the game – I understood it as a fan – and I understood it from the first game I played as a coach in September 2016,” he said. I enjoyed every one of them. Their builds are always great.
“There's always pressure of some sort. I hear talk of 'dead rubber'. There's never a Rangers-Celtic game that's a dead rubber – not in my book.”
“You want to win every game and you want to perform at your best. For me, I love the occasion, I love the game – it's a special match and I always want to win it.”
Rodgers won them overall, a total of 16 matches, and suffered just one defeat in 20 derby matches. Thursday's win means he achieved a career-high of 17 wins against both Aberdeen and the Light Blues, more than any other team.
Watch the Old Firm match live on Sky Sports Football and Main Event from 2pm on Thursday 2 January, match kick-off at 3pm.
