Neil Lennon says that Michael Beale and Rangers cannot afford to lose tomorrow, and reckons it would be a huge shock if they were to pull it out of the bag against Celtic at Hampden.
The two teams face off on Sunday in the semi-final of the Scottish Cup, with the winner set to meet Championship side Inverness, following their 3-0 victory against Falkirk in the other semi-final.
Since Englishman Beale replaced Giovanni van Bronckhorst at Ibrox back in November, he has failed to win in any of his three Old Firm clashes so far, and tasted defeat at the hands of the Hoops in the final of the Viaplay Cup at the end of February.
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Rangers go into tomorrow's Hampden showdown off the back of a poor 2-0 loss to Aberdeen at Pittodrie last weekend, with questions pointed at Beale for his team selection and tactical set-up.
Former Celtic boss Lennon, says that Beale is under pressure in Glasgow, and is in desperate need of a win tomorrow in order to keep the Light Blues hopes of lifting silverware this season alive.
Speaking to Boyle Sports, he said: "The Aberdeen defeat will be very damaging going into Sunday's game. The fallout from any defeat in Glasgow lasts for a few days and there's a lot of analysis, a lot of criticism, a lot of singling out, a lot of blame.
"Michael Beale will have until Saturday to get the team right and block out all the noise. This is the biggest game of the season and there is no coming back from this, they have to win it. Sometimes you'll find inspiration in desperation."
Lennon is confident his old side will get the job done at the national stadium tomorrow, and admits that it would be a real surprise if Rangers were to come out on top. He added: "From a Celtic point of view, you know, they won't be taking anything for granted either.
"The mentality of this team going into these games has been fantastic. They never look flustered and they never panic. Even when the opposition score, they come back for more. It would be a big shot in the arm for Rangers if they won this game.
"But again, the flip side of that is, it would be a devastatingly psychological blow for the remainder of the season.
"If Celtic win they're more or less guaranteed a treble and that will be thoroughly deserved."
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