MARTIN O’NEILL faces his fourth head-to-head derby showdown with Danny Rohl in the midday must-win Premiership encounter on Sunday.
The 74-year-old Celtic interim manager is unbeaten in the three previous outings, but this will be his first at Parkhead.
O’Neill celebrated his first game against Rangers in 20 years when he guided the Hoops to a 3-1 Premier Sports League Cup semi-final win at Hampden in November.
The Irishman followed that up with a 2-2 league draw at Ibrox in March and then a penalty-kick shoot-out victory in the Scottish Cup quarter-final a week later at the same venue.
O’Neill is well aware of what to expect against a team that have suffered back-to-back defeats from Motherwell and Hearts to dynamite any notion they had of winning the title.
Rohl’s side are seven points behind Hearts and four adrift of the Hoops with three games to play. Any lingering hopes of a remarkable turnaround in fortunes will be torpedoed if the Edinburgh club beat Motherwell in tomorrow night’s confrontation at Fir Park.
The visitors would then be officially scuppered and out of the race for the flag by the time the noon kick-off comes around in the east end of Glasgow.
Celtic have also been boosted with the news Daizen Maeda WILL be fit to carry on terrorising James Tavernier.
The Japanese striker, who is coming back to form at a crucial stage of the campaign, limped off at the end of last weekend’s 2-1 triumph over Hibs at Easter Road and there were concerns about his availability for Sunday.
O’Neill said: “Daizen hurt himself towards the end of that game, but he is fine. It’s a big boost, really good.
“He trained today and has had no reaction, so he is going to be fine.
“He has got goals from pressing and getting important goals for us. He has had a super couple of weeks.”
Asked if this will be his last all-Glasgow occasion, O’Neill, speaking to Celtic TV, answered: “I would say most likely.
“It’s an Old Firm game, so regardless of what the results have been before, I think it’ll be a strong Rangers side and a big reaction, so we’ve got to be ready for that.
“The place will be rocking, there seems a bit of unison within the club at the moment which is good news. The players have fed on that, so it’ll be strong.”
Images courtesy Celtic TV.
O’Neill added: “When I came in here first time around, there was a bit of ill-feeling and there didn’t seem a united football club.
“I wasn’t sure if it affected the likes of Maeda and Reo Hatate and things like that.
“There’s no doubt about it, the crowd in full voice cheering the team on, even allowing for mistakes, has been very positive and I think it’s rubbed off on the players.”
Everyone is looking forward to another Sunday singalong in Paradise as the race for the flag thunders towards the finishing tape.
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