Ange Postecoglou out to provide Celtic Saturday night fever Down Under as boss welcomes another priceless derby

The pockets of Ange Postecoglou’s Aussie pals might not be deep enough to cope with popping over for so many Old Firm games but the Celtic boss still reckons these frequent derby days are priceless.

He’s gearing up for encounter number nine in just his second season in charge at Parkhead and the thrill factor hasn't been short-changed in the slightest. These regular skirmishes actually end up saving him a few quid, as it lets him get on with the job of giving Hoops fans plenty of bang for their bucks.

“Yeah, but it depends on how you look at it,” Postecoglou smiled. “It’s nice when they come over for the games but I need to entertain them – so it costs me a fortune as well! The game will be on at a decent time in Australia but I don’t think it’s really relevant. It will be pretty lively in some of those Celtic places no matter what time it’s on.

“It could be three in the morning and it would still be the same tradition. The time difference is nine hours right now, which is nice, so there will be plenty watching Down Under. Hopefully we can give them a good evening.”

Postecoglou knows there’s no such thing as a meaningless Old Firm encounter. But some matter more than most. The Viaplay Cup Final in February against the fierce foes came with silverware, while today’s clash could send his men a mammoth step closer to another shiny pot in the Premiership.

Postecoglou has only tasted defeat twice in eight previous clashes, and is unbeaten on his own patch, so perhaps it’s understandable he feels the more the merrier. Which is just as well, given another two are on the way in the Scottish Cup and league.

Postecoglou said: “Do I still get the same kick from it? Absolutely. I know what it means to our supporters. In terms of