“Nervous” O’Neill plays down ‘Demolition Derby’ repeat for Celtic in Rangers clash

Martin O’Neill has admitted that helium is feeling the nerves up of Celtic’s “big match” against Old Firm rivals Rangers successful the semi-finals of the Scottish League Cup connected Sunday.

The 73-year-old was appointed interim Celtic brag connected Monday and is moving alongside Shaun Maloney pursuing the daze resignation of Brendan Rodgers, who has since been slammed for his “divisive, misleading, and self-serving” behaviour.

O’Neill kick-started his 2nd spell successful complaint of Celtic successful emphatic fashion, arsenic the reigning Premiership champions eased to a 4-0 location triumph implicit Falkirk connected Wednesday night, moving them to wrong six points of leaders Hearts who dropped 2 points successful a gully with St Mirren past clip out.

Twenty-five years agone during his archetypal stint successful complaint of Celtic, O’Neill introduced himself to the Old Firm derby with a memorable 6-2 triumph implicit Rangers, arsenic 2 goals each from Chris Sutton and Henrik Larsson condemned Dick Advocaat's Gers to a humbling decision astatine Parkhead.

That victory, dubbed ‘Demolition Derby’ by Celtic fans, sent the Hoops connected their mode to triumph a home treble successful the 2000-01 play nether O’Neill, and having antecedently lifted lone 3 large trophies successful the 1990s, the Glaswegian giants person since won 19 retired of 25 Premiership titles arsenic good arsenic 23 cupful competitions during a ascendant epoch successful the club’s history.

O’Neill: ‘Replicating Demolition Derby mightiness beryllium highly difficult’

Reflecting connected his archetypal Old Firm fixture astatine a property league connected Friday, O'Neill said: "Well, replicating that mightiness beryllium highly difficult, scoring six goals against that side. I'd settee for a truly lousy 1-0 triumph if we could get it.

"Obviously fond memories, it was great, and it did springiness america a existent springboard really, for that season. Because successful November time, Rangers took america isolated astatine Ibrox (5-1 successful the reverse fixture), but I deliberation we had capable self-belief astir america that we could withstand that and that's what happened.

"Some lads travel up and accidental to me, 'That was a large game', and they weren't adjacent born. They archer maine their grandfathers and fathers were talking astir it.

"It became a truly pivotal lucifer for us, not conscionable that season, but astir apt for continuing on."

Across his archetypal spell arsenic Celtic boss, O'Neill won 16 of his 27 Old Firm derbies (D3 L8), but helium lone won 1 of his 4 encounters against Rangers astatine Hampden Park and celebrated conscionable 1 League Cup triumph during his five-year stint betwixt 2000 and 2005.

O’Neill admits nerves earlier latest Old Firm conflict astatine Hampden Park

Sharing his memories of Old Firm derbies, O'Neill said: "Just a nervousness for astir 72 hours earlier and then, if you got the result, a large relief."

Asked if helium felt immoderate antithetic this clip around, helium added: "Absolutely not. No, no, worse."

"By the clip we had played Rangers (during his archetypal spell), I deliberation we had played 5 oregon six games, truthful I knew my players beauteous good wrong retired astatine that stage.

"This is thing I wouldn't cognize astir our boys. I learned a large woody astatine the Falkirk game, which was large for us. A restoration of confidence, truthful we'll spell into this crippled with that assurance and that's the astir important thing.

"It's been aggravated for maine to look astatine young faces and effort to enactment them into context, into conscionable astir everything. Even if I was present a period oregon something, it would beryllium truly hard to gauge precisely what the players tin do."

Celtic are the reigning League Cup champions aft beating Rangers 5-4 connected penalties successful the last of past season’s contention pursuing a thrilling 3-3 gully aft 120 minutes.

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