Celtic and the Rangers have been miles apart when it comes to Premiership competition this season and are separated by a margin of 11 points. That is a significant gap to say the very least. But at the same time, one cannot overlook the fact that Glasgow Derbies are often one-off games and form goes out of the window.
So, when Celtic and the Rangers meet in the Scottish League Cup final next week, the Hoops will need to earn a win. They should be confident though, considering their record against the Ibrox club over the past three years or so.
On the other hand, it looks like Clement is already viewing his side as the heavy underdogs. Before Celtic, the Rangers are going to be facing Tottenham Hotspur as well and the Belgian manager had some interesting comments about those two upcoming matches.
As reported by Glasgow Times, Clement told Sky Sports:
"Maybe, we need to say financially out of our league, the two games.
"But we are going to compete.
"It's a really nice challenge for our squad to show themselves in these games and what we can do against those teams."
Celtic fans will love Philippe Clement's Cup final claim
The gulf between the two Glasgow teams has been clear to see over the last few years. But even then, that is not what you expect to hear from a Rangers manager ahead of a Glasgow Derby.
That does not sound like a rival manager aiming for nothing but a win, but instead one hoping for the best. One has to wonder what the Rangers fans think about Clement's comments.
There is no doubt that Celtic fans will love them. It already feels like they have a slight psychological edge heading into the game and that is understandable when you consider how often they have gotten the better of the Rangers lately. In fact, the Ibrox club have not won a Glasgow Derby since the appointment of Clement.
All that being said, Celtic cannot afford to take the Rangers lightly going into the Scottish League Cup final. They need to take their A-game to Hampden Park if they want to win the first piece of silverware of this season.