After a somewhat disappointing draw at home to Motherwell at the weekend Celtic fans will be delighted that their side could have a good chance of being strengthened for the upcoming Scottish Cup semi-final against the Rangers at Hampden Park. Three key players in Jota, Reo Hatate and Liel Abada have been unavailable for recent matches.
All three have needed more time to recover from their respective fitness issues. But they have all got goals against the Rangers in the past and would be a worry for Michael Beale’s side, if available to play.
While it is by no means certain that all three would be available, Ange Postecoglou’s recent comments have sounded hopeful that they could feature next weekend. Any of them could feature in the starting line up if fit, but even if one or more only made it to the bench, it would be quite a boost for the Bhoys.
On the other hand, fans of their cup opponents were left worried by the Rangers’ 2-0 defeat at the hands of Aberdeen on Sunday. It pretty much ended any last hopes that they may have had about the league title and dented their confidence before the Glasgow Derby.
Celtic eye triple boost while Rangers fans worry before derby
The defeat at Pittodrie also left the Rangers’ fans worried about their players and who should feature for them moving forward, after such a performance. Many of them took to Twitter to let their thoughts be known:
No extra marks for any player out there today. For once, Raskin and Cantwell made zero contribution.
— . (@brz_1872) April 23, 2023
The rest of the team was just typical Rangers this season. Out of ideas, same misplaced passes, same chances missed. Not worth putting yourself through this every week.
Tavernier didn't find a Rangers player with any pass.
— alexcm 🏴🇬🇧 (@Jimmieintherain) April 23, 2023
Davies, Tillman, Cantwell, Lundstrum, Raskin, Sakala, Morelos all very poor and lightweight today.
Ryan Kent could well be unavailable for the weekend, Alfredo Morelos was missing in action at the weekend and Malik Tillman along with Fashion Sakala failed to impress. As did their summer signing Rabbi Matondo.
With both sets of fans looking ahead to the cup semi final there’s quite a contrast between them. The Hoops fans will definitely be buoyed by the title being only a league win away and by the prospect of a yet another treble opportunity. The Rangers fans may not be looking forward to the cup showdown as much now.