Celtic Focus on First Derby of Season at Ibrox

The talking stops at Lennoxtown now.

With the first derby of the season set for a high‑noon kick-off at Ibrox on Sunday in the League Cup quarter-final, Celtic’s players spent Friday morning locked into the kind of session that strips away distraction and narrows everything to one idea: keep the domestic run perfect.

No fanfare, no noise, just work.

Out on the training pitches, the tempo matched the occasion. Touches were sharp, passing drills snappy, and every small-sided game carried an edge that mirrored what awaits in Govan. This is not just another cup tie. It is Rangers v Celtic, with a place in the semi-finals on the line and an unbeaten domestic record to protect.

The staff drove standards hard. Players demanded more from each other. Mistimed passes drew instant reactions, good challenges earned nods of approval, and finishing exercises were taken with the seriousness of matchday chances. The mood was focused rather than frantic; a group that knows what is coming and has no intention of easing off now.

Celtic have set the pace at home so far this term, and that 100 per cent domestic record has become both a marker of quality and a target on their backs. Ibrox on a derby day is where such records are truly tested. The League Cup may not define a season on its own, but it can set a tone for it.

Sunday’s fixture – Rangers vs. Celtic, September 13, 2026, at 12:00 – offers exactly that kind of statement opportunity. A quarter-final, in enemy territory, with the first silverware route of the campaign at stake.

Training is done. The preparation is banked. Now it is about what Celtic can impose when the whistle goes and the noise inside Ibrox drowns out everything else.