Fran Alonso has rallied his side as they prepare to head into this weekend’s crucial Glasgow Derby fixture against Rangers.
Celtic women are currently on a run of nine games unbeaten, also keeping five clean sheets on the bounce as they push for a Champions League place in the league.
As quoted by the Celtic official website, speaking in his press conference this afternoon, Alonso has called on his players to ‘fight’ for the three points in a crucial derby fixture this Sunday.
“The Glasgow derby is a special game for us, especially considering how well it’s gone for us in the last two meetings,” said Fran Alonso. “We’re very excited about the opportunity. It’s three points we really want. Unfortunately, we won’t have our fans there but we know they’ll be watching and we want to give them something to cheer about.
“We’ll fight. On paper, we’re underdogs. They’ve invested heavily and signed some of the best players from Glasgow City. They’ve invested very heavily to try and win the league so they should be title contenders. We’re going to try and play our game and fight for the three points.
“The fact that they’re the favourites doesn’t give them the three points. Tactically we are a very good team. We know they’ll have the ball in the areas we want it but we know how to hurt them. In the last two games against them, we maximised our opportunities and minimised theirs. In the back of their minds, they’ll think this isn’t an easy game.
“Rangers haven’t managed to score against us, which is a very good stat that we want to take into this game,” said the Hoops boss. “It’s going to be a very even game and the mental aspect is going to be key. Mentally, because of our run of form, we’re very mentally strong and hopefully, we can take advantage of that and get the three points.
“This is a really important game but it’s still three points. We try to keep things normal and the players are excited rather than nervous. We’re in good form and that’s the most important thing for me. The girls have been spot on with the game plan and I hope they do that again on Sunday. We couldn’t be going into this game with a better state of mind.”
As Alonso mentions, so far this season Rangers are yet to score against his side, with the Hoops coming away with two 1-0 victories. So even though they may be favourites going into the game on paper, the Ghirls have the mental advantage.
With the season coming towards an end, this fixture could be absolutely key in Celtic’s push for Champions League football next season. Fingers crossed we can see the women side come away with another three points in this one.
