Celtic captain Callum McGregor has issued a rallying call to his Hoops teammates ahead of this weekend’s crucial Glasgow Derby against Rangers.
The midfielder has experienced a lot of rights in this fixture over the years, including scoring in a 5-0 win at Parkhead and a 5-1 win at Sunday’s venue.
However, last season, he also experienced his lowest campaign as a Celtic player, having not won any of the six derbies he took part in.
McGregor is keen to use that experience to his advantage, as he issued a rallying call to his fellow teammates, insisting that they must go out and win this one for the supporters, which could give Ange Postecoglou’s side some breathing room in this intense title race.
“We know exactly the way we want to work, and we’ve been doing it for nine months now in terms of the way the manager wants us to play,” he said, speaking to the club’s official website.
“I think when you get to these big games, it’s just important to stay calm and remember your principles of how you want to work and the way that the team functions.
“I’m under no illusions that come the game, everyone will be fully focused, and we will carry out what the manager wants us to do, and we will give everything together to get a result.
“That’s our task, to go there and win for the supporters and the club. It’s a massive game, but every game at this point is big.
“I speak about it all the time, but it’s about everyone being together and preparing properly and then, on the day, performing and trying to get maximum points.
“You want maximum points every time you pull on that jersey, and that’s what this club and the support demands.
“If you get a good result on the weekend, you have to back that up with another one, and you’ve got to keep doing that because we know it’s not a one-off game, and we have to stay focused to win every game left.”
After such disappointment last season, it has been brilliant to see the bounceback from McGregor, who has taken the captaincy role and made it his own after replacing Scott Brown.
The midfielder showed precisely the sort of character he is in the last derby when he made his return from injury, wearing the mask he now wears going into every fixture.
This Sunday’s game will be another opportunity for McGregor to show how far he has come since last year, and hopefully, we will see him lead the side to what could be a crucial three points come the end of the season.
