All Celtic’s success ‘earned’, says manager Brendan Rodgers before Rangers cup final

Rodgers, now in his second spell as Celtic boss, led his side to a Scottish Premiership and Scottish Cup double last term and they are currently nine points clear at the top of the league after 15 games.

Celtic are also well placed to progress in the Champions League with nine points from six games.

“I look back on that once I’m done,” the Northern Irishman said of his honours haul. “It doesn’t really count for much in my own feeling.

“Just because you’ve won doesn’t mean you can turn up and not prepare. It’s a final, so you don’t expect everything to go your way, so it’s about preparing for and expecting that.

“It’s the first trophy of the season, we’ve had a brilliant season up until now and this will be a great way to have something tangible to show for that.

“I don’t think it’s a statement. We’ve got other competitions that we’re in and we’re doing very well in so want to continue with that. It’s our next game and we want to win our next game.”