Cameron Carter Vickers responds to 'Rangers are better' Fashion Sakala dig as Celtic star offers blunt verdict

Celtic defender Cameron Carter-Vickers has brushed off jibes from Rangers star Fashion Sakala as he branding the pre-Viaplay Cup final comments "normal".

The Zambian international referred to the League Cup holders as "the other mob" ahead of their meeting at Hampden on Sunday, and continued to take pot shots at their Glasgow rivals by branding them "a far better club" than Celtic despite Ange Postecoglou’s side sitting nine points clear in the race for the Scottish Premiership title. The comments have irked sections of the Parkhead support as tensions rise ahead of the blockbuster derby showdown at Hampden.

But American defender Carter-Vickers hasn't taken the bait from the Rangers attacker as he played down the comments. Asked about Sakala and what he has said ahead ahead of the finaL, Carter-Vickers stated: "For me, I've got no problem with it. Every professional sportsman has to have some level of self belief to get to where they are. For me, it's a normal comment for a professional sportsman to make."

The Celtic star also played down any impact the final could have on their surge towards a second consecutive league title. He added: "Momentum is a thing in football, so potentially that could affect that, but for us we're clear that it's separate to the league and separate to the other cup competition. It's one game, it's a final. It doesn't have much bearing on anything else."

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