Celtic and Rangers face off this Saturday in the Scottish Cup final for a shot at football’s oldest trophy on record.
The Bhoys have won the competition on a record 41 occasions and will be looking to go one further at Hampden, with a domestic double firmly on the table for Brendan Rodgers.
Nevertheless, the one-off nature of showpiece occasions can catch teams off guard, meaning there is no room for complacency from a Celtic perspective.
With the Scottish Premiership already secured, the Bhoys should have nothing to fear; however, even though they have defeated Rangers three times this campaign, every match has been decided by a single goal.
Either way, Neil Lennon, who recently secured his return to football management with Romanian outfit Rapid Bucharest, has made an intriguing conservation regarding the two sides of the Glasgow divide.
Former Celtic boss Neil Lennon previews the Scottish Cup final
Speaking live on talkSPORT earlier today, Lennon discussed entering his new role alongside several aspects surrounding his former club, including the build-up to their Scottish Cup final against Rangers.
When comparing the two teams, the 52-year-old opined that Philippe Clement’s outfit may have fallen short this campaign in the league due to having a lack of ‘genuine quality’ compared to Celtic, referencing several of the Hoops’ key men as potential difference-makers on the day.
He explained: “I don’t want to be jumping on the critical bandwagon because I’ve been in Philippe’s shoes and he’s got a big job on his hands. To be fair, he’ll have the summer now to put his own stamp on the team.
“He’s worked really well with the players that he inherited, but it’s sort of faded away for him in the last couple of months, whether it be a mentality thing or just a lack of genuine quality.
“I always felt Celtic had more match-winners, far more match-winners in the team than Rangers did this season.
Later on, he eluded to who he was talking about in that respect, adding: “He’s (Clement is) going to have to find a way of stopping Celtic’s quick starts. Celtic’s midfield has been exceptional this season, Hatate coming back and is just adding to O’Riley and McGregor double act in midfield.
“They’ve been outstanding. James Forrest comes back in, and he has had a great impact for the last six weeks of the season. I’m just not sure Rangers have that quality of player.”
Celtic are near enough full strength ahead of Rangers test
Say what you like about Celtic’s earlier season form; however, since players like Callum McGregor, Reo Hatate and Cameron Carter-Vickers returned to the fold, performances and results have been night and day for Rodgers’ men.
Without their influence at a pivotal stage, coupled with the emergence of James Forrest, the league table could’ve been closer come the final matchday.
Barring Stephen Welsh picking up a knock against St Mirren last weekend, Celtic are at full tilt heading into the Scottish Cup final, which can only bode well as Rodgers seeks to win more silverware.