Celtic: Ange Postecoglou responds to Barry Ferguson’s claim

Celtic and the Rangers head into the first Glasgow Derby of the season with a lot to play for. The Hoops have a two-point advantage at the moment and the opportunity to stretch that to five. On the other hand, the Ibrox club have the chance to turn the table around and take a lead themselves.

Celtic will have the home advantage on this occasion with the game being played at Parkhead and as a result, anything other than a win will feel like an opportunity missed, with how tight the title race is expected to be this time around.

Barry Ferguson though believes that his former Rangers teammate and current manager, Giovanni van Bronckhorst, might have figured out how to get the better of the Scottish champions. But Ange Postecoglou does not seem to be too fussed about that idea.

As reported by the Daily Record, the Celtic manager said heading into the first Glasgow Derby of this campaign:

"“People have been telling me my whole career I’ve only got a Plan A – and they are right!“My Plan A is to win things. That’s all I’ve tried to do my whole career and as long as I’m winning things then it’s a pretty good bet to keep doing what I’m doing. If I stop winning things then maybe I’ll look to change the way my teams play.“At the moment that’s where my focus is. When you look at my team anyway, the players we have all bring different qualities. I’ve tried to build the squad that way. Yes, we have some principles around our football, but if you look at the areas of the side, they all bring different attributes which can change the nature of the game.”"

Postecoglou responds to Ferguson before Celtic face Rangers

It is safe to say that this is expected to be a tight Glasgow Derby and a tight title race overall. The previous one was decided by four points and this one could prove to be even closer.

Both teams have reasons to be confident of their chances. Celtic are undefeated and at the top of the table. On the other hand, the Rangers have managed to qualify for the Champions League group stages by getting past the qualifiers.

But at the same time, the idea that Van Bronckhorst has it figured out how to get the better of Celtic does not seem to have enough evidence backing it.

Postecoglou’s Celtic managed to get the better of Van Bronckhorst’s Rangers both home and away last season. The other league game that the two sides have met in till now ended in a 1-1 draw.

The only time that Van Bronckhorst has come out on top against Postecoglou’s side is when the Rangers beat Celtic 2-1 in the Scottish Cup semi-finals, with Carl Starfelt’s own goal deciding the result of the game. And the Ibrox side will be without two key players from that game, Calvin Bassey and Joe Aribo.