The missing Celtic and Rangers ingredient from derby day powderkeg pinpointed by Ange Postecoglou

Ange Postecoglou insists strong discipline will again be a major Celtic trait in tomorrow’s Viaplay Cup Final. The Aussie has been in charge of seven encounters against the Ibrox outfit since taking the job at Parkhead.

Despite the high-octane nature of the derby occasion and the feisty atmosphere, neither Postecoglou’s team nor their opponents have suffered a red card during those septet of the showdowns. Callum McGregor was the last individual to be ordered-off in the fixture back in May 2021 when John Kennedy was in charge of the Celtic.

That was just prior to the new boss coming onto the scene and there were only two yellow cards meted out through the entire 90 minutes during the last Old Firm contest at Ibrox last month. Impressive discipline has been a feature of Postecoglou's side since he started in the job and he says that will again be a normal focus at the National Stadium.

He explained: “All the teams I’ve coached, I want them to be super competitive. But I don’t believe super-competitive means that you should be ill-disciplined in that.

"I’ve tried to instil in them a real strong will and desire to be the best within the confines of the laws of the game. I just don’t see any reason to go outside of that.

“That’s not always going to be the case, sometimes players will get yellow or red cards inadvertently or trying to do the right thing. But stuff like off the ball stuff and that, I’ve just never been a fan of. I’ve never seen it as part of trying to be successful. It’s certainly not something I try to encourage.

“Most of my teams, we’ve always had a good disciplinary record because of that. It’s not stuff that I buy into. I think if you want to show you’re courageous or strong then go and win the ball.