The pressure is on everyone at Rangers from Michael Beale to Ross Wilson and the board.
That's the verdict of Mark Hateley who has stressed how vital it is for his former side to defeat Celtic on the way to lifting the Scottish Cup this season. Ange Postecoglou has already landed the League Cup and is in a very strong position to land the Premiership title with a nine point cushion over the Light Blues with just ten games to play.
The Scottish Cup has paired the Old Firm rivals together in the semi-final stage with another Hampden showdown on the horizon. They meet on April 8 in the league before they battle it out in Mount Florida three weeks later with the Ibrox boss warned he faces a 'tsunami' of pressure if Celtic stroll to Treble success this term.
READ MORE: Celtic and Rangers pre-split fixtures in full with Old Firm derby at Parkhead standout date
He told Grosvenor Sport : “You have to beat the best no matter what round it is and Celtic have proven to be the best on all fronts this season.
“There could be three Old Firm games in four weeks with the Parkhead league match on April 8, the semi probably on April 30 and the first post-split game could be the Ibrox league game.
“There is pressure on everyone at the club from Michael Beale to Ross Wilson and the board. The fans are demanding that they show they can beat Celtic and given that they are over the horizon in terms of the title, the Scottish Cup is massive for Rangers.
“Michael [Beale] is a smart guy. He knows the demands and expectations. He came in knowing there were nine players out of contract so he will have been working immediately on replacing the ones that he won’t keep.
“However, he has to keep getting performances and victories out of players that won’t be here next season and he has been managing to do that. But he has to find a way to get a win against Celtic.
“If he loses the league match on April 8, the tsunami will only get closer and closer until it comes crashing down – but that’s what being at Rangers is all about. You have to handle that pressure.
“Of course, if Rangers can finish the season strongly, win the semi-final and lift the Cup it will be a huge springboard for next season.
“Lose, and the opposite is true as Celtic will be strolling to a Treble.”
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