Pandur Outlines Rangers Mindset for Parkhead Trip
Ivor Pandur says Rangers can shut out the noise at Parkhead and deliver a positive result against Celtic in the next Old Firm derby.
The goalkeeper addressed reporters ahead of the trip across Glasgow, where Celtic will have a sold-out crowd of 60,000 home fans with no away support permitted inside the stadium.
Rangers arrive at Parkhead on the back of eliminating Celtic from the League Cup the previous weekend, a result that has sharpened interest in this latest meeting.
Derek McInnes’s side know a win in the away end would close the gap at the top of the Scottish Premiership table to just two points.
Pandur on Blocking External Noise and Ferencvaros Impact
Speaking in Ivor Pandur’s press briefing comments, the Rangers goalkeeper explained how the squad handles a hostile away atmosphere.
“For me, you just focus on the game. That can be really tough or it can be really easy. Before every game, we’ll do the analysis on their team, we prepare the best we can and see their threats.
“We know Celtic are a good team. But it’s a game of football at the end of the day. The noise outside, you just need to shut it out and only focus on the pitch,” he said.
Pandur was also asked whether Celtic’s Thursday night Europa League defeat to Hungarian side Ferencvaros leaves them vulnerable this weekend.
He was clear that Rangers are not banking on any lingering effect from that result. “I don’t think (about that). They’re playing at home and their fans will be behind them, they will give them energy.
“They will go for it, just like we will do. They will try to win and we’ll try to win. I don’t think this (the Ferencvaros defeat) will have much of an influence on them,” he said.
Squad Impact & Tactical Context: Derby Stakes Following League Cup Success
Rangers head into Parkhead having already beaten Celtic once this season, in last weekend’s League Cup tie that ended their opponents’ interest in the competition.
That result has raised the stakes for this Premiership fixture, with supporters keen to see whether McInnes’s team can follow it up.
Our derby tactical analysis looks in more detail at how both sides are likely to set up at Parkhead, while our recent piece on attacking options for the derby rematch examines who could lead the line.
Pandur stressed that every Old Firm fixture carries extra weight for the squad, but insisted the team’s approach does not change from game to game. “It’s big. We obviously know the games against Celtic are the biggest – you have the most to win and the most to lose. But every game for us is equally important because it’s three points.
“Even in the games against St Mirren or Motherwell that we played recently, those were tough games and we managed to win. We want to win. We give our best and everyone is here to win trophies. We know that’s our goal, our ambition, we will do everything we can,” he said.
The League Cup win over Celtic at Ibrox has already generated plenty of discussion among the support, with fan reaction to the cup success continuing to run since the final whistle.
Premiership Title Gap and Matchday Focus
Rangers now turn their full attention to preparing for the trip to Parkhead, with Pandur’s comments framing a squad focused strictly on matters within the touchlines rather than the surrounding occasion.
No away fans will be in the ground, and Pandur’s message is that Rangers do not need them to be there to get the job done.
A win for Rangers at Celtic Park would narrow the gap at the top of the Scottish Premiership to two points, giving McInnes’s side genuine momentum heading into the rest of the campaign after the international break.
Pandur and his teammates will finalise their preparations in the build-up to kick-off, with the goalkeeper’s comments underlining a squad determined to treat the derby with the same focus as any other fixture, whatever unfolds around it at Parkhead.
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