Kris Commons predicts outcome of Celtic v Rangers clash on Sunday
Rangers will face Celtic in the Scottish Cup semi-final on Sunday afternoon at Hampden Park.
Kris Commons has suggested that the Bhoys will emerge as “comfortable” winners, although he predicts it will be a “frantic” opening 20-25 minutes.
The Gers have suffered two defeats already against Celtic, and the Sky Sports pundit feels that Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s side are likely to suffer yet another defeat.
“So I think there’s a huge amount of pressure for Van Bronckhorst over how he approaches the Braga match,” wrote commons for The Scottish Daily Mail (11 April, page 5).
“But I think Celtic will be comfortable winners on Sunday. The first 25 to 30 minutes will be frantic as both teams try and lay down a marker at Hampden.
“Given the extra preparation time, the confidence, and the momentum, however, Celtic will be well placed to win and add to the demise of the Rangers rebuild.”
Focus on Braga
Rangers must take it one game at a time and forget about Celtic for a while.
They have to focus on Braga and find a way to win the tie at Ibrox. They are 1-0 behind from the first leg, but the Gers are more than capable of turning it around at home.
The Bears are heading into this game on the back of a 4-0 win over St Mirren on Sunday.
Kemar Roofe scored a hat-trick while Joe Aribo scored another brilliant goal to seal all three points. Van Bronckhorst will be delighted to see the duo returning to some kind of form ahead of this crucial game.
If they can win against Braga, the players will be in full confidence going into the semi-final at Hampden.
Obviously, Celtic have an advantage here. The Bhoys players will get more time to prepare properly, but this won’t be a big deciding factor.
The next two games are absolutely vital for Rangers, as they can still salvage their season by winning one or two trophies.
More than anything else, Van Bronckhorst will want to avoid yet another defeat against Celtic. But first, the focus lies elsewhere.
In other Rangers news, Michael Stewart has shared his reaction to a “huge” development at Ibrox to come in April