SCOTT SINCLAIR has admitted he is looking forward to facing the hate mob at Ibrox on Hogmanay.
The winger is prepared to run the gauntlet of boos and jeers from the Comedy Club Sevco Rangers support as he hopes to help Celtic to three more points in their quest for a sixth successive Premiership crown.
Sinclair said: “It’s great for all footballers – the hatred and that all the fans don’t like you.
“We will have all our fans behind us and that’s the whole point of being a footballer – that excitement and atmosphere when you go to stadiums like that.
“Playing in front of our fans here is unbelievable, too.
“It’s great to play in front of 50,000 to 60,000 and have them behind us, singing songs all night.
“There aren’t many stadiums down south that size with that kind of atmosphere.
“They sing and jump about and I think it’s great.
“You can’t hear the other players on the pitch, it’s so loud and hostile.
“You can’t even hear your team-mates, but it’s great. There is a difference with these types of games. They are massive. It’s such a big occasion.”
Sinclair is a player familiar with derbies having played for Swansea against Cardiff City and being on the bench when Manchester City clashed with United.
Nothing, however, compares to what he experienced earlier this season when he scored in the Hoops’ 5-1 win over the Ibrox side in September.
He said: “When I first played in it at Celtic Park, I could tell this derby is a big occasion. I think all the fans will be up for it.
“I’m sure it will be an experience and I am looking forward to every minute of it.
“We are taking each game as it comes and we will go into that one full of confidence.”
