Celtic defender Carl Starfelt has sent a warning to his Hoops teammates ahead of the Hampden showdown against Rangers on Sunday.
Having played in a number of derby game since arriving at the club last season, the Swedish defender knows exactly what it takes to win these games and knows the reigning cup holders can’t switch off at any point during the match.
The defeat in extra time to the Ibrox side in the Scottish Cup last season is still likely very frustrating to many in the squad and they will look to put that right come Sunday.
The 4-0 victory over Aberdeen at the weekend helped continue the Hoops terrific domestic form having won their past 22 domestic games out of 23.
Celtic were absolutely coasting it in the previous derby match after Daizen Maeda’s had his side ahead in the opening five minutes of the game but a number of different factors followed which led to Rangers eventually taking the lead before Kyogo grabbed a late equaliser.
In the lead up to that game, the squad had been ravaged by a viral bug which is likely why the manager was forced to make a number of changes to his team and although Celtic are in a far stronger position for this one, Starfelt has warned that his teammates must remain focused to the job in hand.
“In games as big as these games you need 100 per cent concentration all the time, because you don’t know what any situation will bring,” said Starfelt as quoted by the [Scottish Sun].
“It can be a set-piece or a counter-attack that decides the game, it can be anything.
“You must concentrate. You can never afford to relax.
“We have really good confidence within the squad because we have been scoring a lot of goals, but you also need to remember we have not been conceding many.
“We scored another four against Aberdeen, but we also got another clean sheet and that is a huge part of our game.
REUTERS/Russell Cheyne
“We like to stop teams high up the pitch if we can, which is why you don’t see too many clearances inside our box.
“We’re on the front foot and really defending in their half of the pitch.
“We have a really good understanding of what we want to do and we also have very good relationships, not just in the back four, but all over the pitch.”
Following the victory over the Dons, the former Rubin Kazan defender was full of praise for midfielder Reo Hatate who was once again on the scoresheet at the weekend to bag himself another two goals.
Although the 25-year-old will likely be a certainty to start, Starfelt believes it’s the Hoops squad depth which is key.
“Reo was really good and scored two goals, while the substitutions we made also contributed in a very good way.
“We don’t just have 11 players, we have so many who can come on and play well.
“There’s great competition and training has been outstanding, so we’ll go into the final with a high confidence and a belief in our game.
“The final is a big game and we’re very excited for it. We will rest up then look forward to Sunday.
“Every trophy means a lot to us and this was the first one we won under Ange, so we’ll go all out to win it.
“How it plays out, we will see on the day. It’s always too difficult to predict, we just go there to play our football with our game plan and we will see.”
