The first trophy of the season will be up for grabs in Scotland on Sunday when Celtic and Rangers, two bitter rivals, square off in the League Cup Final at the National Stadium.
Brendan Rodgers has won three League Cups and won all 13 of his games as manager at Hampden.
He also has the highest win percentage of any manager in Old Firm history (79%), winning 15 of his 19 meetings with Rangers and losing just one.
The Hoops have defeated Glasgow’s big two in the last two League Cup Finals, most recently winning 2-1 in February 2023 thanks to a brace from Kyōgo Furuhashi.
Surprisingly, Celtic and Rangers currently share 118 major awards between them. If the Bhoys win on Sunday, they will have more trophies than their bitter rivals for the first time since 1938.
We consider the crucial selection Rodgers must make before this huge match.
Even though the current Championship leaders gave them a bit of a scare in September, leading 2-1 with just 20 minutes remaining, but late braces from Adam Idah and then Nicolas Kühn secured victory.
Celtic has easily advanced to their seventh League Cup Final in just nine seasons, defeating both Hibs and Falkirk at Parkhead in the early rounds.
There were no such issues in the semi-finals, though, as the Celtics easily defeated the Dons 6-0, leading 3-0 at halftime and five minutes in, with Daizen Maeda scoring just his second hat-trick in green and white. The Aberdeen team, at that point, had yet to lose under Jimmy Thelin.
In the meantime, the Premiership champions have amassed 43 points out of a possible 45, nine points ahead of Rangers and 11 points ahead of them. They appear certain to win a 13th championship in just 14 seasons.
With Tuesday’s goalless draw against Dinamo Zagreb placing the Hoops 21st in the massive table, they are also doing well in the Champions League.
They know that a win when the already-eliminated BSC Young Boys visit Glasgow next month will guarantee a spot in the knockout rounds.
Prior to that, focus shifts back to domestic issues, as Celtic looks to lift the 20th trophy out of the final 25 that are up for grabs. Most recently, they won the Scottish Cup in May, defeating their citywide rivals in fairly dramatic circumstances, to put it kindly.
Therefore, the question of who Rodgers should select in midfield still stands as he looks to orchestrate yet another decisive victory over Rangers.
