Ange Postecoglou fires derby warning ahead of semi-final | OneFootball

Celtic manager Ange Postecoglou is making no mistake about the scale of his team’s upcoming Scottish Cup semi-final clash against Rangers, urging a big-game mentality from his players.

Having dispatched St Johnstone 7-0 last weekend in the Scottish Premiership, Celtic enter this weekend’s semi-final in good spirits.

But as Postecoglou reminded his players on CelticTV, now is not the time to relax.

“It’s a cup semi-final so there’s meaning on the end of it, there’s consequences on the end of it,” Postecoglou offered. “There’s no second chances, particularly in a semi-final so it’s going to be a tight game, it’s going to be an unbelievable atmosphere.

“The players know the occasion – I don’t have to disguise or dress it up in any other way than it’s going to be a massive game with massive consequences, and it’s exactly where we want to be.

“It’s going to be a different experience, a bit of a unique one, and again, something to embrace and experience.”

Celtic and Rangers meet in a derby once again, having advanced to these semi-finals off the back of 3-0 quarter-final victories against Dundee United and Dundee, respectively.

These two teams last met on April 3, with Celtic coming from behind to win 2-1 at Ibrox. Celtic can also boast a 3-0 win over Rangers earlier this season too.

But neither of those results matter now, Postecoglou has warned.

“Because it’s a cup semi-final, irrespective of previous form or previous encounters with the same team, it just becomes irrelevant,” he said. “There’s always an edge to these games.

“Those kind of games, irrespective of form, irrespective of league position, irrespective of previous games, they’re tight, they’re tense, they’re physical, they’ve got everything you need and that’s what makes them such memorable affairs, and we’ll be prepared for it.”