The first Old Firm derby game of the season takes place at Ibrox next Saturday, and Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers has been quick to get the first dig in at Rangers fans.
Celtic didn’t lose a domestic game last season, and beat Rangers five times with just one 1-1 draw as consolation for their rivals.
The last time the two sides met in the Premiership was at Ibrox in April when Celtic smashed Rangers 5-1, with certain sections of the Rangers support leaving early.
Now, ahead of the hotly-anticipated Old Firm derby game next Saturday (midday kick-off), Rodgers has said that seeing Rangers fans leave early was “pretty special”.
Talking in the Daily Record, Rodgers said: “For every manager and player, it makes you feel that you’re working well. You are doing your job if the game’s over by 65 minutes.
“In a 90-minute game you can take huge credit for how you are playing at that stage.
“It was similar at Liverpool when we beat Newcastle away 6-0. We were 4-0 up after an hour then scored five and six quickly after that.
It’s a big stadium, Newcastle’s, so to see that happen you’re thinking ‘Okay, we’ve probably won the game…’
“If you are going to Ibrox and doing that against one of your great rivals and performing at that level, which was key for me, then it was pretty special.”
OPINION
The Old Firm derby games are the best games of the season in the Scottish Premiership. There’s extra importance on the game next Saturday as it’s the first time the two rivals have met since Rangers manager Pedro Caixinha has overhauled the squad. There’s already a five-point gap between the two sides and if Celtic win then you can realistically dismiss Rangers’ title challenge even at this stage in the season. A win for Rangers however, would give them hope that they can mount a challenge to the defending Scottish champions. The mind games will continue all week, and it’s a part of the tradition, but Rangers fans won’t like to hear that Rodgers relished them leaving Ibrox early last time. They’ll be hoping their side gives them cause to stay behind way after the final whistle on Saturday.