Rangers captain Dan Neil has cautioned his team against complacency as they prepare to face Celtic again in the league, anticipating a strong response from their rivals after Rangers' decisive 3-0 victory in the Premier Sports Cup quarter-finals. The upcoming match at Celtic Park carries significant weight, especially as Rangers currently trail Celtic by five points in the Premiership standings.
Neil, who scored twice in the cup tie, emphasized the importance of securing another positive result to narrow the gap in the title race. "Yeah, listen, they’re a good team and there’s going to be a reaction," Neil stated. "It’s at their place and, although we’ve won on Sunday, by no means have we over-celebrated. We know that, yeah, it’s job done this week, but we’ve got a massive game in the league."
The captain highlighted that while the cup progression to a semi-final is a significant achievement, the team's focus has immediately shifted to the league encounter. "We got through in the League Cup which is brilliant and we are going to Hampden with a chance of a final. But we’re under no illusions about the league and the points at the minute and our full focus is on next week before the international break."
Neil's performance in the cup match, where he was named man of the match, was instrumental in Rangers' victory. The midfielder, who joined Rangers previously, delivered a performance that silenced any doubts among the fanbase regarding his capabilities. He believes confidence is growing within the squad after a challenging start to the season.
"I thought all the lads had the game plan to an absolute tee, in possession and out of possession," Neil commented on the team's performance. "I thought we were really aggressive, really intense, but also mixed it up as well, were really compact and narrow in a block and I thought we judged when to jump out of that block and go man-for-man very, very well."
He added, "I think you’ve seen that probably in the last few games which is why the clean sheets are starting to come. Two goals for me in any fixture is pretty good. I haven’t scored many braces if any in my career so unbelievable. I was putting my head on the pillow on Saturday night, thinking of scoring one never mind two, so to come away with a brace is immense. But I have to give big credit to the whole team. I thought it was a real team performance out there and everyone deserves massive plaudits."