Celtic are set to take on the Rangers in the final of the Scottish League Cup at Hampden Park. It goes without saying that this is a huge match, with a lot riding on the result. The last time the two Glasgow rivals contested this game, the Hoops came out on top thanks to a winner from Christopher Jullien and an all-time great performance from Fraser Forster in goal.
On the other hand, the last time the two teams faced off at Hampden Park, the Rangers won, in the semi-final of the Scottish Cup. Thus, Celtic will have a point to prove as well.
Of course, silverware is up for grabs. And on top of that, there is the added pressure that comes with a Glasgow Derby. It is a must-win for both teams.
A lot of Celtic fans will be worried about the impact that VAR could end up having on this match. They have not had the best luck with the system till now. The same cannot be said about the Rangers. But it looks like Ange Postecoglou is not giving the matter any particular thought.
Celtic boss makes VAR claim before League Cup final vs Rangers
As reported by The Herald, Postecoglou said before the League Cup final:
"“I don’t worry.“I’ve had my say on VAR a while back.“But I’ve never gone into a game worried about decisions the referee is going to make.“The beauty of our game is that no-one can write a script on how it’s going to go on Sunday. No-one can predict it.“Something can happen in the first minute that changes the dynamic of everything that happens.“What I tell the players is that, to the best of our ability, we control the things we can control.“Things might interfere with that, like the opposition or the conditions – the pitch in the semi-final was tough for us.“It could be a mistake or a referee’s decision, a moment of magic from someone.“We can’t control those things. But we can deal with them if we do the stuff we control really well.“I don’t let it enter my thinking and the players are the same.“Whatever it is out there that we have to overcome, we have to find a way to do it.”"
It all comes down to things that one cannot control. There is nothing that Celtic can do before the game to prepare for VAR. Thus, there is no point to let it even enter their thinking ahead of a game of this magnitude.
Celtic must get ready as well as they can and show up at Hampden Park, prepared to take on the best version of the Rangers. The rest should hopefully take care of itself. If the Bhoys are on their A-game, they will have to be considered as the favourites on the day.