Philippe Clement’s men will make a short trip to Celtic Park as Rangers will face Celtic in the derby clash on Saturday.
Het Belang van Limburg had a chat with former Celtic defender Dedryck Boyata to preview the weekend clash between Brendan Rodgers’ side and Rangers. The 33-year-old, who is currently at Club Brugge, spent four years at Celtic Park between 2015 and 2019.
During his time at Celtic, Boyata played several times against Rangers and knows the importance of this crucial fixture. The Belgian also believes the clash between Celtic and Rangers ‘goes beyond football’.
“I’ve played about ten of them. It’s indescribable. The intensity is incredibly high. I’ve never experienced that. You also feel on the field that the match goes further than just football. That is a match that must be won, regardless of how the season will progress. Lots of aggressiveness. Many duels, many mistakes. Sometimes it really matters. Like I said: it goes beyond football,” he said.
HBVL points out that during Arthur Numan and Ronald Waterreus’ time at Rangers, they were once not served a coffee because the waiter was a Celtic fan.
Boyata didn’t experience such incidents during his time at Celtic but is well aware what a win over Rangers could mean for both the Bhoys and their supporters.
“I haven’t experienced that, but I have heard stories like that before. The impact of that match is enormous. When you win a derby like that, it’s fantastic to walk down the street in Glasgow. Then you are the king.” Boyata explained.
“But if you lose, it’s a lot less. Then you can’t come outside. The Rangers fans are laughing in your face, the Celtic fans are angry. Luckily, I won most of the matches. The rivalry is so great that you feel that tension constantly.”
“Everywhere you go you are confronted about it. The newspapers, internet, social media, … it is everywhere,” he added.
“It will never be more like a derby. Everyone here in Glasgow has made a choice: green or blue. They are also the only two top clubs in Scotland. Outside Great Britain, not everyone realises how gigantic these clubs are, how gigantic this derby is.”
When discussing the atmosphere, the 29-year-old Belgian revealed Rangers duo of James Tavernier and Connor Goldson motivate him and his teammates for the derby clash. He feel this isn’t necessary.
“I had also heard the stories and expected a lot of intensity. However, there were no hard and dirty tackles. Thanks to VAR I think. Elbows, throwing punches and other dirty offenses are no longer allowed,” Dessers said.
“Everyone knows those videos of Scott Brown and others knocking each other over. But that is less now. The charged atmosphere is still there. The pace is extremely high, it goes up and down incredibly quickly.”
“Everyone is under high tension, especially the first half hour. My teammates Tavernier and Goldson have been playing for Rangers for eight and six years, and of course they know what that match means. They still have a lot of emotions about that match and they charge us up. But that’s not really necessary. We all know what is at stake.”
Celtic sealed a 1-0 win over Rangers at Ibrox in September and Brendan Rodgers’ side will be looking for another win when they two sides face each other later today.
