Celtic and Rangers are set to face off in a tantalising Scottish League Cup final this weekend at Hampden Park. Both teams head into the clash with contrasting European fortunes behind them.
Celtic, fresh from a goalless stalemate against Dynamo Zagreb in the Champions League, will be looking to sharpen their attacking edge, while Rangers showed grit in a 1-1 draw with Tottenham Hotspur in the Europa League.
As the Old Firm rivals gear up for the season’s first domestic silverware, here is the latest news surrounding both clubs.
Former England striker Darren Bent has cast doubt on Kieran Tierney’s future at Arsenal. The 27-year-old, who left Celtic for the Emirates Stadium in 2019, has struggled with recurring injuries and a lack of consistent playing time. Bent believes Tierney’s time in North London may soon be over.
Bent remarked:
“Do you know what, I almost fear a little bit now for Kieran Tierney. I really like Kieran Tierney, but unfortunately he can’t stay fit. I think the last time he played a competitive game was in June for Scotland.
“Just being out for that amount of time, I think he’s been sitting on the bench for Arsenal for the last five games. The fact that he’s not played a minute would almost indicate that his time at Arsenal is coming to an end.”
Tierney, a Celtic academy graduate, made 170 appearances for the Hoops, contributing eight goals, before his £25 million move to Arsenal.
His tenure with the Gunners has seen him make 124 appearances, but his inability to stay fit has hampered his progress. Last season, he was loaned out to Real Sociedad in search of regular minutes, but his injury woes have persisted.
Crouch Dances to Gers’ Anthem and Praises Rangers
Former Premier League striker Peter Crouch was spotted enjoying the atmosphere at Ibrox during Rangers’ Europa League tie against Tottenham.
On media duty for TNT Sports alongside Alan Hutton, Crouch was seen dancing to Rangers’ pre-match anthem, Simply the Best, before offering glowing praise for the Gers’ performance.
Reflecting on the game, Crouch said:
“I think they (Tottenham) got away with one, to be honest. Rangers were fantastic today. If Tottenham had come away and won it, it would have been a travesty really.
“The last 20 minutes Tottenham were in the game but still could’ve conceded. The first-half it was all Rangers but I think the Spurs substitutions helped.
“He (Postecoglou) was obviously trying to rest players, his best players all season like (Dom) Solanke, (Dejan) Kulusevski, (Pape) Sarr, players like that. (Lucas) Bergvall actually did really well when he came on as well. They made the difference.”
Alan Hutton echoed Crouch’s sentiments:
“Not only tonight’s performance but the previous three, with clean sheets, have been really good. Every game that goes by they’re getting better.
“You can see it starting to build and become really good on the pitch. They are transforming as a team, so if they can build on this performance tonight, which was excellent, into Sunday, it should be a cracker of a game.”
As both teams fine-tune their preparations for Sunday, the Scottish footballing world eagerly awaits what promises to be another fierce chapter in the storied Celtic-Rangers rivalry.
