Ange Postecoglou demands Celtic 'embrace the occasion' at Hampden as he knows Rangers showdown isn't 'any other game'

Ange Postecoglou could try to shield his team away from the enormity of the Viaplay Cup Final.

He could attempt to play it all down and somehow pretend it’s not a huge occasion. But the Celtic boss reckons that would be a pointless waste of time. Instead, Postecoglou hears the excitement around Sunday’s game with Rangers, the pleas for tickets, the interest from across the globe and feels the prospect of a golden day winning more silver. And he wants his stars to roll with it and embrace it.

The Aussie has been involved in huge games throughout his career. He’s led his country into a World Cup finals. He’s been through massive occasions in Australia and Japan and he’ has already won a League Cup final with Celtic. Some managers may choose to try to protect their players from typical pre-match hype, to play down the consequences. But Postecoglou said: “If you try to bunker down and try to treat it like any other week you’re going to get unstuck.

“There is so much attention on everything we do over the next few days. You can get narky about it or complain about it or you can just embrace it as the fact it’s a big game this week, with a big prize at the end of it and just roll with it.

“The players get asked for cup final tickets, or people around them get excited. As long as the players embrace that and don’t let it affect their preparation then that’s fine. I’ve found that’s the best way to handle these games.

“I’ve found over the course of time that big games are big games. There’s no point trying to shy away from that or trying to treat it like every other game because you know they’re not.

“The players are human beings and they understand what’s at stake at the weekend and the possibility of winning a trophy. You want