Old Firm rivals Celtic and Rangers will clash in the Scottish Cup last 16 on Wednesday.
This Scottish Cup Fifth Round Replay was set up when these teams battled to a 2-2 draw at Ibrox Stadium three weeks ago. Celtic have achieved a 3-0 SPL victory over Rangers since then, while Rangers have reached the UEFA Europa League last 16 by advancing past Sporting Lisbon.
Celtic were beaten 2-0 in the SPL at Motherwell over the weekend, and boss Neil Lennon is looking for his team to bounce back quickly against their bitter rivals.
“I’m looking for a reaction – a positive one,” Lennon told BBC Sport. “I want to see that intensity to their play, which wasn’t really evident on Sunday.”
Lennon will be unable to call upon goalkeeper Fraser Forster and midfielder Joe Ledley, who are both unavailable due to suspension. Beram Kayal will return from a ban for Celtic, while Mark Wilson is hoping to shake off an injury in time to play.
Rangers assistant manager Ally McCoist told BBC Sport that the recent 3-0 defeat suffered at Celtic Park served as a valuable lesson his team will benefit from. The fact Rangers eliminated Sporting from the Europa League shows that theory could have some value, and win over Celtic here would have Rangers well and truly back on track.
Captain David Weir is expected to return for Rangers while Vladimir Weiss, Steven Naismith and Jamie Ness are all ruled out with injury.
The winner of this game will travel to face Inverness Caledonian Thistle in the Quarter-Finals on Sunday March 13.
Celtic were beaten 2-0 in the SPL at Motherwell over the weekend, and boss Neil Lennon is looking for his team to bounce back quickly against their bitter rivals.
“I’m looking for a reaction – a positive one,” Lennon told BBC Sport. “I want to see that intensity to their play, which wasn’t really evident on Sunday.”
Lennon will be unable to call upon goalkeeper Fraser Forster and midfielder Joe Ledley, who are both unavailable due to suspension. Beram Kayal will return from a ban for Celtic, while Mark Wilson is hoping to shake off an injury in time to play.
Rangers assistant manager Ally McCoist told BBC Sport that the recent 3-0 defeat suffered at Celtic Park served as a valuable lesson his team will benefit from. The fact Rangers eliminated Sporting from the Europa League shows that theory could have some value, and win over Celtic here would have Rangers well and truly back on track.
Captain David Weir is expected to return for Rangers while Vladimir Weiss, Steven Naismith and Jamie Ness are all ruled out with injury.
The winner of this game will travel to face Inverness Caledonian Thistle in the Quarter-Finals on Sunday March 13.
