Football people don’t often discuss revenge but it won’t be far from the thoughts of the Celtic players on March 31.
Three months is all that they’ll have to think back on as they recall the events of the last Glasgow derby.
Referee John Beaton turned a blind eye to various attacks from Alfredo Morelos as Ryan Jack celebrated the goal that gave the Ibrox fans the moment that they had waited years to experience.
At the final whistle Scott Arfield mocked Scott Brown, afterwards an emotional Andy Halliday described a 1-0 victory to stay second behind the champions as the best day in his life. His life, not his football career, this from someone with a Challenge Cup winners medal on his fireplace.
Neil Lennon was preparing Hibs for a visit from Hearts that day but it was impossible to escape the reactions across Scotland to that result.
Next Sunday Lennon will send out a very determined group of players to face their city rivals with no need for any special encouragement from their caretaker boss.
Asked if he felt that the blip of the last derby result left the hoops players with something to prove Lennon told Celtic TV: “Absolutely, these players continually get asked questions and they keep on answering them. They’ll want to prove something to themselves as a group and individually as well.
“They’ve got to look at that feeling after the Ibrox game, that was the first defeat in 13 Glasgow derbies, it was an incredible run that they were on.
“So maybe in a good way to feel that hurt in defeat can really incentivise them for the game on the 31st and an opportunity to go 13 points clear.”
Celtic have arranged a bounce game tomorrow for Tom Rogic and Olivier Ntcham to accelerate their fitness for the derby clash.
