The title might be done and dusted, but Celtic will still want those three points against Rangers on Sunday more than anyone else.
Brendan Rodgers’ record against Rangers is outstanding and he has only suffered two defeats over his two spells at Celtic Park.
Unfortunately, the last one was a horror show at Ibrox, at the time, many felt it was just papering over the cracks for the opposition and normal service would resume.
To nobody’s surprise, normal service has resumed because Rodgers has seen off another Rangers manager, with Philippe Clement being sacked last month.
To add even more spice to an already fierce and hotly-contested Glasgow derby, Barry Ferguson is now the Rangers manager on an interim basis and it all makes for more interesting viewing.
Make no bones about it, even with Celtic’s 16-point lead at the top of the Premiership table, they will want to pile more misery on their rivals.
Celtic beat Hibernian to reach the Scottish Cup semi-final on Sunday and they have a one week break to prepare for the derby encounter.
And, after the woeful performance at Ibrox, there is a secret weapon in the Celtic ranks that Rodgers can use to make matters worse for Ferguson and Co, as well as adding three more points to the kitty.
Jeffrey Schlupp could be Celtic’s secret weapon against Rangers
Celtic signed Jeffrey Schlupp on transfer deadline day and he has already dethroned Greg Taylor from the XI to become Rodgers’ starting left-back.
It has been deserved because the on-loan Crystal Palace star, who only played 95 minutes of Premier League football this season, hasn’t looked out of place in any aspect.
Schlupp’s performance in Munich was outstanding, as he got a taste of what life was like in the green and white colours on the big European stage.
But now, for the first time in his career, the 32-year-old is going to face the challenge of a Glasgow derby and pitting his talents against Rangers.
Given Taylor’s struggles at Ibrox last time out and the general mixed feeling around him, Schlupp has been a breath of fresh air and he could be a secret weapon for the team against Rangers.
Let everyone talk about the man of the moment, Daizen Maeda, but if he plays on the left, with Schlupp behind him, then the duo could cause absolute carnage down that side on Sunday.
Schlupp’s stats for Celtic since joining from Crystal Palace
As you can imagine, there will be more calls for Schlupp to be at the club next season because, as of this moment, he is a free transfer in the summer and possibly joining another team.
But the versatile star has shown enough, during his small period of time in Glasgow, that he is worthy of earning that contract for next season.
WhoScored have rated both of his performances, on the domestic stage and in Europe, above seven, which is pretty strong and healthy.
