Kris Commons believes Ange Postecoglou's message to his Celtic players for the clash with Rangers will be clear: 'Get after them'.
The former Hoops midfielder also highlighted the fact Light Blues boss Michael Beale will be having nightmares over the threat Kyogo Furuhashi will have on his backline with his clever movement as he builds up to this weekend's Scottish Cup semi-final showdown. The Old Firm rivals go head to head with a spot in the end of season showpiece up for grabs.
The winner will be deemed heavy favourites to go on and lift the famous old trophy with Falkirk or Inverness the opposition they will come up against. Both sides head into the game on the back of dropping points in the Premiership with Celtic drawing at home with Motherwell and Rangers losing out at Aberdeen at Pittodrie.
READ MORE: Giorgos Giakoumakis post-Celtic goal streak as he makes it five in five starts for Atlanta United
That long bus journey home would have given the Rangers manager food for thought with all eyes and focus now on the derby clash on Sunday. Commons has also highlighted the fact the Ibrox men like to take 'some risks' by building from the back and believes Postecoglou will be flagging this up to his team and telling them to put their opponents under pressure and force mistakes - citing John Souttar and Ben Davies from the last meeting.
Writing in his Daily Mail column, he said: "Over in the blue corner, Michael Beale would have had an awful lot to think about on the two-and-a-half-hour coach journey back down from Aberdeen last night. A 2-0 defeat, with missed chances at one end and goals conceded at the other.
"Beale will be having nightmares about the threat of Kyogo Furuhashi at Hampden and what his movement can do. Can they find a plan to stop him? I do wonder about this Rangers defence. So far this season, they have conceded 11 goals to Celtic over four derbies. Beale has made them a better team, no question about that, but they have still struggled to keep their opponents at bay in the three Old Firm matches under his command. Two goals were conceded at Ibrox, two again in the League Cup final, and three at Celtic Park earlier this month.
"The Rangers manager has got to hope his back four can produce a bit more. The return of Connor Goldson would definitely help but then he was part of the side that lost at Hampden in February, when Furuhashi again made the difference. Beale will be crossing his fingers for an absence of costly mistakes and, bluntly, that his players turn up in a much better fashion than they did when the League Cup was up for grabs. There's a lot of uncertainty there."
He added: "Rangers try to build from the back. They take some risks. But do they really have the composure? You think back to the last derby and the largely unforced mistakes made by John Souttar and Ben Davies for starters. It's going to be highlighted by Postecoglou in team meetings. Put them under pressure. Get after them.
"Listen, Rangers might well feel the same about Carl Starfelt. Particularly in Europe, we've seen that he can have a little bit of careless play in his nature when he comes under pressure. The Swede needs to pass it forward quickly and cleanly on Sunday. For Rangers, though, the problems in defence are maybe a bit deeper. Davies had a difficult day at Celtic Park and his confidence seems to have taken a knock since. He made a few little errors again at Pittodrie giving the ball away cheaply.
"If I can speak from experience, it's tough when you're in a position where mistakes are being highlighted by the media, fans or whatever. You're thinking about the need to start the next game strongly. You want to get back to basics. Keep things simple and do your job. Win your first header, win your first tackle and then hopefully natural ability comes through. Sunday brings a big test in that respect. And Rangers really need Davies to pass it."
READ NEXT:
- Kyogo reveals Celtic Treble desire as hitman fires warning over 'tough' Rangers in semi-final
- Moussa Dembele a FREE AGENT as ex-Celtic striker's Lyon exit confirmed with 'no doubts' claim
- Callum McGregor responds to Ange Postecoglou Celtic exit poser with 'as long as we can' verdict
- Ange Postecoglou Celtic long-term stay as former Rangers star makes 'rock the boat' verdict
