Celtic

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Winger James Forrest is urging Celtic to keep all eyes on Sunday's Scottish Cup quarter-final, despite having ground to make up in the league.

Martin O'Neill's men head in to tomorrow's game against Rangers five points off Hearts at the top of the Premiership table.

But they've already missed out on one piece of silverware this season after losing to St Mirren in the League Cup final back in December.

And Forrest insists Celtic need to have all eyes on this weekend's game.

"I think to be honest, they [league and cup] are separate," the 34-year-old said.

"It's a chance to get to Hampden again and the semi-final and I think that's the focus.

"At this time of the season, you just concentrate on the next game.

"I think the league is on the backburner to next Saturday when we go to Motherwell.

"Everyone in the changing room, the staff and everyone will give everything they've got for Sunday and then whatever happens after that, the league will take care of his itself."

Since making his Celtic debut back in 2010, Forrest has become the club's most decorated player and is still being relied on during games.

Mostly coming off the bench, the Scotland international has scored one goal and set up another so far this season.

"Obviously I'm getting older, but I'm still fit and available and still been playing games and I want to contribute when I can and help the team," he added.

"With the amount of games that we have, playing in Europe, you're in both cups, that is a lot of games and throughout the season you do need to use your full squad.

"The players that start on Sunday might not be the ones that finish the game.

"Whenever I get a chance to play, I want to help the team as much as I can.

"The most important thing when you're maybe not playing as much and when you're kind of in and out of the team, you just need to work hard in training.

"And when you do get a chance, you need to try to stay in the team and still try and play a part of it and hopefully I can do that on Sunday as well."

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Celtic are "in the trenches" but former goalkeeper Joe Hart did not foresee their chaotic season coming.

The former England international won the Scottish Premiership three years on the bounce during his time at Parkhead and also lifted two Scottish Cups and two League Cups.

And Hart thought when he left in 2024 that the club were in a really promising position.

"We had that treble-winning season and Brendan Rodgers came back and I think he did a really good job," he told BBC Radio Scotland's The Saturday Show.

"I finished my career with a double and then the season after Celtic were so dominant in the league. They wrapped it up early, won the League Cup and then the run in Europe. I just felt like everything was right, you know?

"They were making profits with the sales [of players] and bringing exciting players in."

Celtic failed to make the Champions League this season, losing their play-off to Kazakhstan's Kairat Almaty, and were beaten by St Mirren in the League Cup final.

With Martin O'Neill in interim charge for a second time this term following Brendan Rodgers' resignation and the chaotic tenure of Wilfried Nancy, the Parkhead club are five points off league leaders Hearts with nine games left.

"I just did not see the season coming," Hart added.

"At the moment they're very much in the trenches. Speaking to the players and knowing some of the staff and knowing the fans like I do, they're going to dig deep.

"There's certainly conversations that need to be had in the summer, no doubt about it, but I care about what goes on on the field.

"I saw the fight on Sunday [against Rangers] and they managed to get that draw away at Ibrox. It's still all to play for."

Liam McLeod
BBC Sport Scotland Commentator

• Sunday will be the 450th Old Firm meeting in league and major cups. Rangers have won 172, Celtic have won 171 and there have been 106 draws including last Sunday's 2-2 at Ibrox.

• This is the 56th time the sides have met in the Scottish Cup - and the fifth in six seasons. Rangers have won 19, Celtic have won 27 and there have been nine draws.

• This is the 12th time they have met in the Scottish Cup at Ibrox, Rangers winning five to Celtic's three, with three draws.

• This is the first Old Firm derby in the Scottish Cup since the 2024 final which Celtic won 1-0 late on thanks to Adam Idah's goal.

• The last meeting at Ibrox in the Scottish Cup was the fourth round in 2021 and Rangers won 2-0 thanks to goals from Steven Davis and a Jonjoe Kenny OG.

• Celtic's last Scottish Cup win at Ibrox was in February 1957 when they won 2-0 - their only other victories in this tournament here came in 1907 and 1908.

• Rangers last win over Celtic in this tournament was the semis in 2022 when a Carl Starfelt own goal proved decisive in a 2-1 win and took them into the final where they beat Hearts.

• Despite a few recent successes, Rangers have only won five of the past 24 derbies - the Scottish Cup semi-final in 2022 and two 3-0 victories at Ibrox as well as their recent back-to-back wins at Celtic Park.

• The team that scores first has only lost this fixture six times out of the past 48 meetings since they renewed acquaintance in the same league in 2016.

• Celtic have gone five visits to Ibrox without a win (drawn four, lost one) since Kyogo Furuhashi scored the only goal of the game in September 2023.

Portugal manager Roberto Martinez, who has been linked with the Celtic job after this summer's World Cup, is in the running to replace Oliver Glasner at Crystal Palace. (Football Insider), external

Celtic are keen to sign left-back Marcelo Saracchi on a permanent deal, but face competition from clubs in England and Brazil, according to the player's agent Marcelo Tejera. (Scottish Sun), external

Read the rest of Saturday's Scottish gossip.

Clive Lindsay
BBC Sport Scotland

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Martin O'Neill admits he wondered if Kieran Tierney would ever be the player he was before being blighted by injury problems, but Celtic's interim manager says the Scotland left-back has "come roaring back" and has been "colossal".

Tierney has scored in two games in a row, Sunday's 2-2 draw with Rangers and Wednesday's 2-1 defeat of Aberdeen at Pittodrie, but is a doubt for this weekend's Scottish Cup quarter-final return to Ibrox.

"The injury he had to his foot is actually clearing up, but he's just generally sore in every aspect," O'Neill said.

"So we'll see how he is tomorrow, but generally speaking, he's done fabulous for us now he's getting almost back to complete fitness, which is great."

Tierney spent six years with Arsenal after leaving Celtic, but the 28-year-old returned in the summer after finding his game-time limited following several injuries and a spell on loan to Real Socieded.

"I think he's been colossal for us," O'Neill, who is in his second spell in interim charge this season, said.

"There were times when I came back in my first spell when I thought would he ever get to the level he was before? And you often wondered if it was fitness alone or the fact he hadn't played for some considerable time."

O'Neill pointed out that Tierney "just couldn't get his career going at all" in the Premier League because of the injuries.

"But he's come roaring back here," he added. "He's been fantastic for us. Selfishly, I'm delighted with it."

Meanwhile, O'Neill pondered whether Police Scotland will offer Celtic fans breakfast after asking them to be at Ibrox three hours before kick-off on Sunday.

"It is a one o'clock kick-off and the police are asking our fans to be in there by 10 o'clock," he said. "Do they get breakfast there?

"Pretty early that, even by normal standards."

Away fans had been excluded then limited amid a dispute between the Old Firm clubs over away allocations, but Scottish Cup rules mean 7,500 Celtic supporters will take up the entire Broomloan Stand for the first time since March 2018.

"It is a fantastic fixture and it's made much, much better by the full allocation," O'Neill added.

"If the clubs could agree to get back to full allocation for away fans, then terrific."

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Martin O'Neill has been speaking to the media before Celtic's trip to Ibrox to face Rangers in the Scottish Cup quarter-final on Sunday.

Here are the key lines from the Celtic boss:

• There are a "couple of niggles" from the midweek win at Aberdeen and Kieran Tierney is a doubt although the foot injury he suffered at Pittodrie is "clearing up".

• O'Neill says Tierney has been "colossal for us" and has been "getting back to almost complete fitness" this season.

• Goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel has trained for the first time since missing the past three games and having a shoulder injection after a bout of illness. Asked if he'd have a decision to make over whether to start Schmeichel, if fit, or Viljami Sinisalo, O'Neill says: "We'll see. That's the nature of the business, you make big decisions at times."

• As Celtic prepare for their third away game in a week, O'Neill admits it has "been a tall order for us" but is pleased they got through Wednesday night's game at Pittodrie with victory.

• Following last week's 2-2 draw at Ibrox, O'Neill knows Celtic "need to start better" and jokes "if we play like we did in the first half we shouldn't turn up", but the second-half display "gave us great confidence". The fightback from two down was "testament to the players' character".

• O'Neill, who admits he has been "advocating" for a return to full away allocations in derby fixtures, is excited to play in front of 7,500 Celtic fans at Ibrox this weekend.

• He adds: "I shouldn't be interfering in what police say, but it's a 1pm kick-off, isn't it? And they were asking our fans to be in for 10am. Will they get breakfast in there? It's pretty early isn't it? Even by normal standards."

• The 74-year-old admits it would be a "big boost" for his side to get into the semi-finals but "isn't sure" it will have any bearing on league form.

• O'Neill stresses "we're miles away from winning anything" and suggests Celtic fans have been "spoiled" in recent years with "no real challenge" for the league title.

• But he admits this season has been "a challenge" for Celtic with both Hearts and Rangers stepping up their game. He adds: "The overall picture should be a wake-up call for the club."

• Having already missed out on one trophy this season, O'Neill recalls 2003 when they reached the Uefa Cup final but won nothing domestically and says "you've still got Celtic fans saying it was one of the best seasons ever".

Charlotte Cohen
BBC Sport Scotland

Benjamin Nygren's winning strike for Celtic at Pittodrie on Wednesday night took his tally to 19 goals for the season.

And 15 of those have come in the Scottish Premiership - more than any other Celtic player - making him the league's second-top scorer behind Motherwell's Tawanda Maswanhise (16).

Not bad for a £1.7m attacking midfielder. But just how important have Nygren's goals been for Celtic?

Wednesday night marked the Swede's fifth winner for Celtic in the league this season - only Maswanhise (six) has netted more decisive goals.

What's perhaps more important to Celtic is that Nygren's 15 goals have been worth 11 points to Martin O'Neill's side - no player in the Premiership has scored more important goals.

To put that into perspective, without Nygren's goals Celtic would be fourth in the league on 47 points, just one ahead of Hibs in fifth and 16 behind league leaders Hearts.

And there's more to the midfielder's attacking prowess than just crucial goals. In fact, lot of his statistics this season read like those of a striker.

Nygren has the most goals and assists (19) of any player in the division and has had the second most total shots (71) behind Claudio Braga (76).

His shot conversion rate of just over 21% is the third best in the division behind Maswanhise (24%) and Hibernian's Jamie McGrath (23%).

"They are relying big time on the goals of Nygren, a player who's been an enigma," Herald football writer Stephen McGowan told the BBC's Scottish Football Podcast.

"I think it's the only word for him because he doesn't look like a midfielder who's going to control the game. He doesn't really dictate the play, doesn't make big tackles.

"You're not really sure if he's a number eight or a number 10 or whatever, but he scores big goals. Ninteen for Celtic and they need that because they are struggling up front."

Celtic are interested in Motherwell winger Elijah Just and Hibernian midfielder Miguel Chaiwa as they prepare a squad overhaul in the summer. (The Herald, subscription required), external

Former Liverpool defender Ozan Kabak, out of contract with German club Hoffenheim at the end of the season, is on a list of Celtic transfer targets, along with Cologne midfielder Eric Martel. (TeamTalk), external

With Kilmarnock midfielder David Watson keen on moving to a club playing Champions League football, who qualifies between Celtic, Rangers and interested English clubs could determine where the 21-year-old heads this summer when his contract expires. (Football Insider), external

Celtic midfielder Arne Engels, up £7m to £15.6m, is the biggest transfer market value upgrade in the Scottish Premiership this season, with Rangers centre-half Emmanuel Fernandez next, up £6.5m to £7.8m. (Transfermarkt), external

Read Friday's Scottish Gossip in full.

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Kheredine Idessane
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter

I wondered a few weeks ago on these pages whether 'Saint' Martin O'Neill, as some supporters dub him, had any more wonders left to perform.

It was after one of his former charges from the Seville glory days, Stiliyan Petrov, suggested the 74-year-old was working "miracles" by keeping the current squad in title contention.

Having just about kept the car on the road with last-gasp winners against clubs in the bottom four, the wheels then came off spectacularly in four portentous days in February. Back-to-back home defeats against Stuttgart and Hibernian in which six goals were conceded.

Surely the unlikely O'Neill fairytale was ending? Celtic couldn't go on the road to Baden-Wurttemberg, Ibrox and Pittodrie and emerge unscathed, could they?

Two victories and a draw later, there is a distinct air of renewed hope around the Scottish champions for the denouement to a season peppered with self-inflicted chaos.

A league and Scottish Cup double is still on the cards despite the departure of Brendan Rodgers, the sacking of Wilfried Nancy and woeful failures of at least two transfer windows.

O'Neill already has a Uefa Cup runners-up medal, three Scottish titles, three Scottish Cups and League Cup from his initial tenure over 20 years ago. Would this Premiership crown, were he to reel in Hearts, be his crowning glory above them all?

It's hard to top a European final, granted. However, right now there is no Henrik Larsson thrashing in goal after goal, ably assisted by Chris Sutton or John Hartson.

No midfield of Petrov, Paul Lambert or Neil Lennon providing stability, dynamism and invention. What the former Leicester boss would give for defenders anywhere near the calibre of Johan Mjallby, Joos Valgaeren or Jackie McNamara when he's having to field youngsters loaned from Brentford to patch up his backline.

O'Neill is trying to compete with a resurgent Hearts, an enterprising Motherwell and a rejuvenated Rangers with one of the weakest Celtic squads in years.

Daizen Maeda and Reo Hatate are barely recognisable these days, although the latter is finally showing signs of life. Captain Callum McGregor can only carry a midfield for so many seasons.

Yet the manager is having to coax every last ounce from them. What choice does he have? He's working in an era of Michel-Ange Balikwisha, Joel Mvuka and Junior Adamu.

How then to explain O'Neill's impressive domestic numbers? In his two spells in charge this season he has played 17, won 14, drawn twice and lost only once.

The defeat came when Celtic were down to 10. The draws were at Tynecastle and Ibrox. The spine of the team is now Viljami Sinisalo, Liam Scales, McGregor and Benjamin Nygren, ably assisted by Kieran Tierney and Julian Araujo on the flanks.

They've produced Celtic's first win on German soil, a two-goal comeback away to Rangers and a season-saving victory in Aberdeen.

Despite Hearts' commanding five-point lead, a whisper is emerging from Glasgow's east end: with injured and suspended players due shortly to return - and with midweek matches now largely a thing of the past - is O'Neill nine matches away from his best ever achievement as Celtic manager?

Charlotte Cohen
BBC Sport Scotland

When Benjamin Arthur arrived at Pittodrie on Wednesday night he could hardly have expected to be making his first start for Celtic.

Fast forward to 10 minutes before kick-off and the on-loan Brentford centre-back was getting stripped and ready to replace injured Dane Murray in the starting line-up.

"I wasn't expecting to start but as I soon as I found out, I just switched on," the 20-year-old told Sky Sports, external.

"Got 90 minutes, got the win, that's all that matters. You never know what's going to happen on the pitch so you have to be mentally prepared for anything - I feel like I was that.

"Always be prepared for anything. I wasn't expecting to start but I feel like I did my shift."

And the stats certainly reflect Arthur's pleasure in his performance.

The centre-back made two interceptions, only Julian Araujo (three) made more. Only Callum McGregor won more tackles than Arthur while his 12 clearances was the most of any player on the pitch - Aberdeen's Sivert Heltne Nilsen was closest with seven.

Arthur had the most touches of any player (102) and the most passes (80) while no one won more duels (seven) or aerial duels (four).

"I thought he did fine, he stepped into the game," manager Martin O'Neill said of Arthur's display.

"Half an hour beforehand his mind was thinking, 'I wonder will I get on at any given stage' and then the next thing he's called upon to start the game.

"So you have to have almost a different mindset. He comes back into the dressing room, gets himself ready, and I thought he really did fine."

We asked for your views after Celtic's 2-1 win at Aberdeen which moved them up to second in the Scottish Premiership.

Here's what some of you had to say:

Kev: With 16 and 13 points respectively from the last six league matches, Motherwell and Celtic are the form teams in the run-in. Rangers have only gained 10/18. Viljami Sinisalo and Benjamin Arthur have strengthened Celtic's defence. Benjamin Nygren is a constant goal threat and James Forrest continues to lead by example. Reo Hatate and Daizen Maeda remain key players and should start against Rangers. The league and cup double is there to be won.

John: It's the same theme every game. Grinding out results. It's not good to watch but still in the hunt. I also think it's about time to leave Meada out the squad. He is just an empty jersey.

Hugh: Our main deficiency remains a natural striker, the stats clearly show we have not scored enough goals and have the poorest goals total of the top four teams. Our board have had three transfer windows to sort this issue out and have failed to do so yet no one has been accountable or held responsible for this glaring and obvious failure.

Ian: I don't even know how we are still in this title race. Extraordinary. If Martin O'Neill can win the title this year, what a legend.

Eck: Another poor performance by Celtic. Week in, week out this team are playing well below standard. The only players that have played consistently well are Kieran Tierney, Nygren and Forrest when he gets a chance. Martin has done his best with a poor team, the Celtic board should try and get Henrik Larsson or Scott Brown when Martin finishes up and invest in a decent striker and central defender.

Benny: At this stage of the season it's about getting three points, however Celtic again were lacklustre and huffed and puffed their way to a win. There is no cutting edge to this side and they are far too slow in the build-up play to win games convincingly. Tomas Cvancara up front was starved of service but his overall game was poor and his movement slow. Sebastian Tounekti continues to frustrate by not being direct enough. Thankfully Nygren saved the game with another valuable goal.

Gerry: A must-win game, well won. This result after the draw against Rangers shows how important that one point was. We move above Rangers and now can concentrate on chasing Hearts. Nygren scores another crucial goal too.

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Celtic manager Martin O'Neill expects Dane Murray to be a doubt for the Scottish Cup quarter-final at Rangers on Sunday after the defender sustained a thigh injury in the warm-up before the 2-1 win at Aberdeen and was replaced in the starting XI by Benjamin Arthur. (Scotsman - subscription required), external

Thursday's Scottish gossip

Watch highlights of Celtic's narrow win at Pittodrie which sent them into second in the Scottish Premiership, while ending Aberdeen's top-six hopes.

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Celtic manager Martin O'Neill: "It was a tough evening, which I expected anyway and we certainly got that.

"And it was nice to come through and win the game, we scored early on in proceedings.

"I felt as though we should've just asserted a bit more superiority, we allowed Aberdeen into the game. They get a penalty and then you're forced in the second half to try to conjure something, which we did.

"We could've scored a couple towards the end as well. It would've been nice if that was the case, it wasn't though.

"We showed resilience to fight it out towards the end."

Celtic move above Rangers into second place in the Scottish Premiership - and within five points of leaders Hearts - but were made to work hard for their win by determined hosts Aberdeen.

Have your say on the game here.

Read our match report here.

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Winger Sebastian Tounekti insists Celtic's never-say-spirit will be crucial in the title run-in as he looks to build on a "really big" Ibrox point with victory at Aberdeen tonight.

Martin O'Neill's side have the chance to move above Rangers into second and cut the gap on leaders Hearts to five points with a win against Aberdeen.

Celtic hit back from two down for a point in the Old Firm derby on Sunday and Tounekti, who helped inspire the second-half revival, says there's more fight where that came from.

"It was a strange game to be honest, a game of two halves," the Tunisian told CelticTV.

"In the first half we weren't even close, but the second half was really good.

"As a player, and the type of player I am, I want to help the team. I want to come off the bench and help my mates to win the game.

"We managed to get a draw in the end and there are still many matches left, so a point on Sunday was really big.

"We've showed all season that we are a team who will never stop fighting or believing.

"Many would have said after the first half that we were finished but we know that we are a team who can fight back and we did.

"It's important for us to keep that belief in us until the end of the season."

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• Aberdeen remain winless in 33 meetings with Celtic in all competitions (D7 L26) since a 1-0 league victory in May 2018.

• Celtic have won 15 of their past 18 away league visits to Aberdeen (D3) since losing successive trips there in the 2015-16 season under Ronny Deila.

• Aberdeen have lost two of their past three home league games (W1), more than in their previous eight beforehand (W3 D4 L1). The Dons could lose back-to-back league matches at Pittodrie for only the second time this season, having done so in their opening two home fixtures of this Premiership campaign.

• Celtic have won 20 of their past 22 league matches played on a Wednesday, while the exceptions in this run were away defeats to Hibernian in May 2023 (4-2) and Dundee United in December 2025 (2-1).

• Kevin Nisbet has scored a double in his past two home league appearances for Aberdeen and could net in three successive home league matches for the first time. Nisbet has also scored in two of his past three home league appearances against Celtic.

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Celtic pair Alistair Johnston and Callum Osmand have had setbacks in their attempts to return from injury. (Sun), external

Manager Martin O'Neill hopes Celtic's January recruits can have make an impact in the final months of the season after having a taste of things so far. (Record), external

Former Celtic player Peter Grant believes Hearts not winning the Scottish Premiership title this season would be worse than their final-day collapse in 1986, when Celtic pipped Hearts to the title. (Sun), external

Wednesday's Scottish gossip

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Martin O'Neill is looking for Celtic to make a fast start at Aberdeen on Wednesday as they aim to narrow Hearts' Scottish Premiership lead.

O'Neill's side were dominated in the first half of their 2-2 draw at Rangers on Sunday, a match that marked the fifth time Celtic have conceded first in their past seven matches.

A second-half fightback earned them a well-deserved point, meaning they are eight points behind Hearts and two behind Rangers.

"The trip to Ibrox was going to be difficult in itself, but we certainly can't spend 45 minutes on the back foot and not really competing properly," he said.

"And that's against any side, never mind Rangers. So from our viewpoint, we've got to try and get a grip of the game earlier than we're doing.

"The players are obviously very pleased, as we all are, with the fightback. We did brilliantly in the second half. And as I said, not too many teams come from a 2-0 deficit at Ibrox to get something out of the game, which we did.

"Certainly, this is a big game for us tomorrow evening and we have to try and win."

Goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel will be absent again after missing the weekend action at Ibrox, but O'Neill hopes he will have recovered for the Scottish Cup quarter-final tie against Rangers on Sunday.

"Kasper is still not feeling great so I will leave him to recover properly," said the Northern Irishman, who will again be without suspended defender Auston Trusty.

"[Viljami Sinisalo] has done really well in the two games that he's come in. I have been pleased with him. I thought he did fine against Rangers, really fine."

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Aberdeen defender Nicky Devlin misses out against Celtic after picking up a knock against Hearts, where Tom McIntyre was absent through injury. Emmanuel Gyamfi is working his way back to fitness.

Mats Knoester (concussion), Kristers Tobers (knee) and Nick Suman (ankle) remain out.

Celtic number one keeper Kasper Schmeichel remains out with illness while Martin O'Neill has a couple of players carrying niggles.

Auston Trusty serves the second of a three-match ban. Arne Engels (leg), Cameron Carter-Vickers (Achilles), Jota (knee), Alistair Johnston and Callum Osmand (both hamstring) remain out.