Played 20. Lost one.
Brendan Rodgers is rightly proud of his record on derby day over two stints in Glasgow’s east end.
So much so, in fact, that he’s not overly bothered about the one that got away back in December 2018, when Ryan Jack’s winning goal left him on the wrong end of the scoreline for the one and only time.
Rodgers was asked yesterday if the memories from that defeat, six years ago, help fire up his desire to keep the win column ticking over in Celtic’s favour.
He replied: “Not so much. I said at the time Rangers were better than us on that day so I had no complaints. I didn’t look for excuses about the referee or anything else – they were better than us so we had to accept that and show gratitude to the other team. They played well.
“But for me, it’s not about having that feeling. It’s a feeling you don’t want any time, losing a game of football. But, of course, we go into this game with a real attacking mindset, being really aggressive in our game and playing the level of game we have played consistently now for a period of time – despite the ‘mini slumps’!”
Mini wobbles actually Brendan. But touche sir, all the same.
Celtic go into this one as red hot favourites even despite the recent Hampden skirmish between both sides which saw Celtic clinch the Premier Sports Cup but only after a penalty shoot-out.
Rodgers went on: “We won the game, which is what a cup final is all about. I thought they defended well in terms of how they wanted to press the game but my biggest view was on ourselves.
“In the first half we weren’t clean enough on our work and you have to give Rangers credit for part of that. But for us it was our positioning and not playing forwards in the areas we wanted to. Sometimes the occasion can bring that.”