Johnny Kenny may be on loan at Bolton Wanderers, but his focus this weekend is still fixed on Ibrox. The striker has backed Celtic to silence the noise and come away with a result against Rangers.
Celtic head into the derby with questions being asked. Recent defeats and a tight title race have sharpened the spotlight. Rangers sit ahead in the table. The fixture schedule has been heavy. It is the kind of week where outside voices grow louder.
He said: (Bolton News), “I fully believe Celtic will win.
“I think they’re going to shut a lot of people up before the end of the season and prove everyone wrong.
“I’ve spoken to them. They’re playing every three days at the moment, so they’re focusing on their own things. I hope they can be successful.
“When I wasn’t a Bolton player, I wasn’t worried. To be honest, I just wanted to concentrate on playing for Celtic because that’s who my employers are and who I love to play for.
“That’s all I was worrying about in January until the opportunity arose. That’s all I was focused about, Celtic.
“Celtic is a massive club, and I don’t think people probably say how big of a club it is. I probably didn’t understand how it was until I played.
“Obviously, we’ve been hit and miss, but as I said before, I think they’re going to be successful and prove everyone wrong. Everyone’s writing them off. Everyone’s criticising them, but I think they’ll eat their words come this Sunday.”
Playing every three days takes it out of you. Touch can go a bit flat. Legs can feel heavy. But it can also toughen a squad. Different players have had to come in. Others have had to dig deep.
Ibrox won’t give them time to settle. Rangers will press fast and try to turn the crowd into a factor straight away. Celtic will have to look after the ball better than they did in the last meeting and stay switched on when it goes into their own box.
From down south, Kenny still believes in them. He thinks they’ll respond. Sunday is the chance to show it.
