Celtic vs Rangers: A Battle for Pride and Energy

Mika Baur does not expect Sunday’s derby to be won with pretty patterns and polished passing. He expects a fight.

The Celtic midfielder, still stung by last weekend’s 3-0 League Cup humbling at Ibrox, insists style can wait. Against Rangers, he believes, only mentality and raw energy will matter.

From Ibrox hostility to Parkhead fury

Martin O’Neill’s side were overrun in Govan, outplayed and outmuscled as Rangers marched into the next round and cranked up the pressure ahead of the league rematch. That defeat came in front of a 50,000-strong Ibrox crowd, a wall of noise and hostility that Celtic never truly silenced.

“You could feel it's a special thing there [Old Firm game],” Baur said, reflecting on the experience. “It was like 50,000 people against you, you should handle that.”

On Sunday, the stage flips. Same rivals, very different backdrop. This time it is Celtic Park. This time it is 60,000 on their side. No Rangers fans. No split noise. Just a home crowd demanding a reaction.

“And on Sunday it's completely different,” Baur continued. “We have 60,000 on our side, so we should use that. We need everyone.

“We players will give 100 per cent on the field and we need everybody else to get that energy back and win on Sunday.”

“You will not win it with beautiful football”

Baur has repeated the same message inside the dressing room all week: forget aesthetics, embrace the battle.

“I've said a couple of times now, stick together again, get the energy level, really, really high on Sunday,” he said. “You will not win it with beautiful football and nice play.

“Maybe you will score through it, but you will win the game on Sunday with a mentality and with energy and that's what everybody should bring into the match.”

He is not dismissing Celtic’s identity. The expectation at Parkhead is always to play, to dominate the ball, to entertain. Baur understands that, but he is adamant that the derby demands something more primal.

“Sure you want to win. That's the first thing and in a couple of months, no one asks how you won. You want to play attractive football, if you want to do good with the ball, against the ball.

“Tactics are really important, but as we all saw last Sunday, it was not about that. It was about tackling back, to run back. It was about that and we should bring that on Sunday.

“You don't want to stop playing good with the ball. It's more about the energy, it's more about the mentality on Sunday, but it should be a good mix.”

Celtic’s response, then, will not be judged on patterns of play or passing angles. Not this weekend. It will be judged on whether 60,000 people and 11 players can turn bruised pride into the kind of fury that swings a title race.