CALLUM McGREGOR will lead out Celtic for the sixth and final derby of the season at Parkhead this afternoon.
Opposite number James Tavernier will do likewise in his last-ever game against the champions before he leaves Rangers next month.
On the honours front, it’s an uneven duel.
The Celtic captain has picked up 24 winner’s medals while the departing Govan skipper has a mere three. To be fair, McGregor, 32, has a four-year start on Tavernier, 34, who arrived at the club 11 years ago when Mark Warburton signed him from Wigan.
Over the same period, the Hoops midfielder has won 20 trophies.
SEALED WITH A KISS…Callum McGregor celebrates last season’s League Cup success, his 23rd honour. Number 24 was on its way when Celtic sealed the Premiership four months later.
Overall, McGregor has lifted 10 titles, six Scottish Cups and eight League Cups. In the blue corner, Tavernier has picked up honours in each of the domestic competitions with a Premiership win in the Covid season of 2020/21, the Scottish Cup a year later and the League Cup in 2023/24.
The Ibrox skipper got a little carried away when his goal helped overcome Aberdeen in the Viaplay-sponsored tournament in November 2023 which welcomed Philippe Clement as the new boss in Govan after the Belgian had replaced Michael Beale the previous month.
Tavernier proclaimed: “It’s the start of something really special for this team. This is a great first step.”
Oops! Didn’t quite work out like that.
Clement was sacked in February last year after a home loss to St Mirren which followed the 1-0 Scottish Cup exit from Queen’s Park at Ibrox in a tie where Tavernier missed a last-minute penalty-kick.
Barry Ferguson took over in a caretaker capacity before Russell Martin was given the role in a permanent basis in the summer. The axe fell on Martin after a 1-1 draw at Falkirk in October.
Danny Rohl will now square up to Martin O’Neill fot the fourth time during the Irishman’s two interim manager’s stints this season.
The German boss is still awaiting his first win. He sampled defeat in the first, a 3-1 extra-time loss in the Premier Sports League Cup semi-final in November.
There was a double-header in March with Rohl having home advantage on both occasions. He watched as the visitors fought back from 2-0 down at the interval to gain a 2-2 draw.
And O’Neill’s men dumped their city rivals out of the Scottish Cup at the quarter-final stage when they won 4-2 on penalty-kicks after a scoreless stalemate following extra-time.
McGregor and Co have every intention of making Tavernier’s final appearance in this fixture an extremely unhappy one.
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