Another trip to Ibrox for Celtic is on the immediate horizon with the aim being yet another trip over the Clyde, this time to Hampden as the prize this Sunday is a place in the Scottish Cup semi-final. Last Sunday the spoils were shared at the same venue as the Hoops came back from 2-0 down with a game-saving second-half performance by the men in green and white to level the SPFL clash. This coming game, though, will be played to a win, and Martin O’Neill is hoping his players start this game as they ended the last one. The manager said: “That would be important for us. if we play like we did in the first half, we shouldn’t turn up then, but the second half gave us great confidence, and the ability to know that we can fight back. “I think it’s a testament to the players’ character as much as anything else.” With this Scottish Cup derby falling amid a fight on multiple fronts for this season’s league title, a reasonable question is, will the outcome of this game have an impact on the league. The Irishman said: “Naturally, just taking the game on its own, that would be a big boost for us. ‘If we could win the game and get into the semi-final of the competition that would be great, but will it have a bearing on the way the league is going to pan out, I’m really not so sure.’ “There’s tough matches ahead for us, there’s tough matches ahead for the sides concerned, so I really don’t know. “I suppose if you got beaten in the game, it’s how quickly you can get over it.”Last Sunday was a first for Martin O’Neill in that in previous years he’s been used to a full compliment of Hoops fans in the Celtic End. Now the clock has been turned back for the manager and he will experience that again along with any boost it brings the men in green and white on the pitch, especially at the start of the game. He said: “The fans will be cheering don’t worry about that, they will be cheering. “We would need to start better than we did in the game, but, you never know, we might be the team that starts really brightly, and we might be the team holding on at the end. “So, it’s a different game, but we cannot afford to go as long a period and not doing too well. “Because you can actually not be in control of the whole match, that’s the point, you wouldn’t expect to do, you’re away from home. “And you can be out of a game for 10 or 15/20 minutes, as long as you hang in there during the course of that time, but in that15/20 minutes you’re out, the game can go beyond you. “So, I’m not a soothsayer, I don’t know what’s going to happen on Sunday, but getting back to the point I agree with, we need to start better.” Watch the full interview to hear the manager on: Injuries Heavy fixture schedule Ticket allocation Kieran Tierney Beachball Sunday Winning multiple trophies MORE ON THE GAME James Forrest: We’re focused and ready to give our all on Sunday:
Trending Now
