It wouldn't be derby day in Glasgow if there wasn't a few pot shots between Rangers and Celtic – and the Viaplay Cup build-up has been no different.
Ibrox forward Fashion Sakala refused to name the opposition by name ahead of the massive Hampden showpiece, referring to Ange Postecoglou's holders as "the other mob" before the face-off at the national stadium. The dig didn't go unnoticed in Glasgow's east end and has only added to the drama behind a blockbuster fixture as Michael Beale looks to lift his first trophy since arriving at Rangers, while Celtic will lattempt to kickstart their bid for a domestic Treble by keeping the League Cup in Parkhead.
However, Sakala's swipe isn't the first dig fired between the Glasgow giants either on the pitch or off, with plenty of sparring taking place between those in green and blue. Record Sport takes a look at some of the cheeky jibes and heated confrontations when the two go head to head.
Celtic are 'the other'
Fashion Sakala isn't the only Rangers star who has refused to name Celtic since while on the books at Ibrox, with Leon Balogun's stance after claiming the Scottish Premiership title back in 2019 hinting at the potential mindset behind the scenes at Ibrox. Under boss Steven Gerrard and assistant Beale he admitted he tries "to avoid pronouncing the club's name".
The Nigeria international admitted: "I would rather say the one on the other side of town." He also revealed that an unnamed goalkeeper refused to watch "the other's" games.
Brown ends title talk
Some might say Sakala should maybe have learned from previous lessons dished out from Scott Brown. The Celtic legend looked to shut down any title talk emerging from Ibrox back in March 2018 off the back of celebrating landing the Hoops in the Scottish Cup semi-final.
Just days later, Celtic secured a 3-2 victory to go nine points clear and all-but end Rangers bid for top spot. After the full-time whistle, Brown was in bullish form.
He said: "They talked all week and we just sat down. We did our talking on the park. We always do our talking on the park. Whether we win or we lose, we always fight till the last minute. That’s happened a few times to us now.
“Whether there is 11 of us or 10, we have always got that belief. We are definitely on a high. We always believe that we can come here and get the three points and we did that today.”
Check your pockets
Former Celtic star Michael Lustig loved to noise up the Rangers support during his time at Parkhead, and nothing epitomised that more than his dig during the 5-0 rout of their rivals back in 2018. The result saw Celtic claim their seventh consecutive title, but the Swede wasn't satisfied with the comfortable win and securing the trophy.
Lustig was involved in an exchanged with Jamie Murphy with the margin of victory sitting at 5-0. The Celtic star pulled the waist of his shorts out and looked towards the gap – gesturing that he was checking his pocket as he had a little dig at Murphy.
No tears for Morelos
Scott Brown and Alfredo Morelos relished their derby day battles with the cauldron of an Old Firm derby before the legendary Parkhead skipper departed the club. They renewed their feud when Brown made the move to Aberdeen, but the back and forth threw up several memorable moments for punters.
Morelos attempted to have the last laugh over Brown during his final derby clash at Celtic skipper, with Rangers running out 4-1 winners. Ref Nick Walsh waved away the Celtic skipper's appeal for the Colombian to get booked, and Morelos saw his moment.
As play resumed Morelos made a crying gestures towards his foe as he argued with the whistler. Brown would later claim on the Off the Record podcast that he had got the better of Morelos despite the final exchange.
Barton takes on Brown
Scott Brown wasn't short of rivals during his time in the green half of Glasgow. Joey Barton stepped up to face the Celtic captain back in 2016 and was full of bluster as he made the move north of the border.
After making the move to Rangers, he said: “People keep talking about Joey Barton and Scott Brown. He ain’t in my league. He is nowhere the level I am as a player. He can’t get to me.
“If I play well, Scott Brown doesn’t stand a chance. That is not me being blasé. That is me just stating what I believe.” In the end, Brown would earn bragging rights. Brendan Rodgers’ Celtic side mauled Mark Warburton’s Rangers 5-1 in that demotion derby and Barton would be back at Burnley before their next showdown.
Having the last Laff
Despite losing out of the league title in the midst of financial woes back in 2012, Kyle Lafferty was vocal in his pot shots at Celtic following their 3-2 win over their rivals. The Northern Irishman was quick to praise the work being done at Rangers by then boss Ally McCoist – insisting he had far better resources than his counterpart Neil Lennon in the green half of the city.
An irked Lafferty claimed: "Despite all that's happened this season, on our day Rangers are still the best team in Scotland. Celtic can sign whoever they want but we'll still have the best young players and the best older players. We're the best team and we play the best football."
Statement stars
There was a period when Rangers were very fond of an official club statement. In May 2019, Gers defender John Flanagan was issued with a notice of complaint for an alleged elbow on Celtic skipper Scott Brown. In response, the Govan club got the laptop out again to tell all that they would "vigorously defend" the former Liverpool man and questioned why Jozo Simunovic wasn’t cited for an off the ball clash with Jermain Defoe.
That didn't go down with Neil Lennon, who slammed the statement and insisted Rangers had no grounds for an appeal. He said: “Look, they [Rangers] are good at making statements. We are above all that. The only thing I want to say is that it’s a straight red card – we should feel aggrieved that Jon Flanagan didn’t get a red. That’s all I want to say on it.”
Poor pros at second rate Celtic
Walter Smith rarely got involved in the tit-for-tat spats that tend to engulf Old Firm encounters. When he did though, he didn't miss. The late legendary Ibrox boss was angered in 2010 when Hoops German fullback Andreas Hinkel claimed before a meeting that second-placed Celtic were a better team than league leaders Rangers.
Celtic won 2-1, but Smith said afterwards that had Hinkel and his mates shown the same commitment under sacked Tony Mowbray before he was replaced by Lennon, then they he might be able to back up his claims. Smith said: "Andreas Hinkel said in the papers the other day that Celtic are the better team. If he sits down and analyses what he said, then you have to ask: 'Why does he think they are a better team than Rangers, when Rangers have won six trophies and reached a European Final during a period when Celtic have won just two trophies?'
"He must feel something is wrong. It might be that, if they had shown the same attitude as they did for the first half of this game tonight, they would be in a better position. He has to ask himself that question.
"As he sits down and says they are a better team, he should ask himself if he's proud of the way they have played over the last few seasons. Because I'm certainly proud of the way my team has played and my team has got something tangible to show for it.
"I can't understand why any professional doesn't take a good look at himself first before saying they are the better team. It is patently obvious that they are not.
"It might be as simple as their approach and attitude to the game, which Neil Lennon is now bringing out of them. If it takes a manager to bring it out of you, then you are looking at a poor set of professionals."
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