Rangers v Celtic: Philippe Clement insists season is not over as Brendan Rodgers promises league leaders will not let up

Philippe Clement insists Rangers’ season is not over ahead of Thursday’s Old Firm clash, while Brendan Rodgers has vowed Celtic will not “let up” despite their 14-point lead in the Scottish Premiership.

The latest edition of this device – Live on Sky Sports – comes weeks after the two met in a controversial League Cup final which Celtic won on penalties.

Clement insists the defeat at Hampden Park proves Rangers can beat the champions, as the Scottish Football Association’s head of refereeing admitted afterwards They should have gotten a penalty in extra time when it was 3:3.

However, if the Belgian wants to get a much-needed victory in this game, he will have to give it up Captain James Tavernier, who has joined a growing injury list.

Clement: We have to prove that they can beat Celtic

“We deserved to win (the last game against Celtic), we had the best chances and also in some different circumstances,” Clement said Sky sports news.

“The team showed that. It’s about showing that again and getting the three points.”

Asked whether some fans were right to think the season was already over because of Celtic’s lead in the league, he added: “No, that’s certainly not the case.”

“We will fight for every game and every result. This is everyone’s duty and what everyone wants.”

“It is a new squad with a new long-term project and young players who are getting better. It’s about having the hunger and desire to win every game. That’s what this club is about and that will never change.”

Rangers go into the game with a defeat at St Mirren and a draw against Motherwell. Clement added: “Anyone who watched the two games against Motherwell and St Mirren – we were the team that deserved to win those games with so many chances we had.

“We have to be more clinical and efficient and the luck has to drop more than in these games.”

Rodgers: Celtic won’t let up

The champions are now unbeaten in their last 27 league games but Rodgers insists they are taking nothing for granted against a Gers side coming under fire from their own fans.

“Listen, we will always take the pressure,” said the Northern Irishman. “We put ourselves under pressure in every game to win and win well. So nothing changes.”

“We always remain humble when preparing for games. People look at the gap, but it doesn’t matter. We can’t soften, we won’t get softer.”

“We are giving our best for the next game because we know how much this game means to people.”

“Last season, in the first game, I was under pressure there and so on. Now I go there with 14 points… but nothing changes for us, the mentality is to perform and try to play our game.”

“That pressure will always be there, especially at a game at Ibrox without fans.”

Rodgers grew up in a Celtic-supporting family in country Antrim and knows how much the game means to fans, regardless of the context of the league table.

“I understand the game – I understood it as a fan – and I understood it from the first game I had as coach in September 2016,” he said. “I enjoyed every single one of them. The setup preparations are always great.”

“There is always some kind of pressure. I hear talk of a ‘dead ball’. There’s never a Rangers-Celtic game that’s a dead ball – not in my book.”

“You want to win every game and perform at your best. I love the occasion, I love the game – it’s an iconic game and one I always want to win.”

Rodgers has generally won them, 16 in total, and suffered just one defeat in 20 derbies. A win on Thursday would mean he has taken a career-high 17 wins against both Aberdeen and the Light Blues, more than against any other club.

Watch the Old Firm clash live on Sky Sports Football and Main Event on Thursday January 2nd from 2pm, kick-off 3pm.

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