As reported by The Daily Record, Rangers manager Pedro Caixinha has opened up about how he plans to prepare his side for Saturday’s massive test at home to Scottish champions Celtic.
What’s the story?
After dropping more points away to Partick Thistle on Friday night, questions are again being asked about the direction Caixinha is taking Rangers.
This week is absolutely massive for the club with a Scottish League Cup Quarter-Final against Thistle on Tuesday night before a frankly massive match-up with the Hoops at Ibrox this Saturday.
After a humiliating defeat to Brendan Rodgers’ side at home last time, the pressure on Rangers to show they can compete with their arch-rivals.
For Pedro Caixinha though, the preparations are business as usual as he looks to block out the hype and focus on getting his team ready for the encounter.
As quoted by The Daily Record, he said:
I cannot stop the noise around this game but I can avoid it getting on my mind. I just focus on the games and the process. I don’t care about the circus that surrounds the game. You need to know how to manage it. What is important is that we prepare all the games to win. This one is the same.
The paper also report his admission that he didn’t even watch Paris Saint-Germain’s thrashing of the Hoops last week as he didn’t think he would learn anything from it.
It’s clear he does things his own way at Ibrox, but will it all pay off with the results supporters are desperate for?
Can Rangers compete?
In many ways, Saturday’s match against Celtic could be seen as a make or break fixture for Pedro Caixinha’s team. He’s made a raft of summer signings designed to compete directly with the reigning champions and the pressure is on for them to deliver a cohesive performance and put the Hoops under pressure.
Another drubbing like the 5-1 defeat at Ibrox last term could be a step too many for many Rangers supporters who already have big question marks about the Portuguese.
On their day in the right circumstances, Rangers can compete with Celtic. Last season’s 1-1 draw at Celtic Park showed that.
The question is, can they do it on Saturday? If they don’t, where does it leave Caixinha?
