Charlie Mulgrew places his Celtic and Rangers bets as Parkhead hero can't see past one Scottish Cup scenario

Old Firm veteran Charlie Mulgrew has tipped Glasgow’s big two to be placed back on an end of season collision course in this weekend’s Scottish Cup semis.

Celtic will face Aberdeen at Hampden on Saturday with the league leaders looking to book up a return for the showpiece curtain downer on May 25. And on Sunday it will be the turn of Rangers to take another step closer to silverware when they take on Hearts at the national stadium. And with both city rivals still slugging it out in the run-in to the top flight title following a thrilling 3-3 league draw at Ibrox, former Parkhead stalwart Mulgrew believes the entire campaign will have two more derby day dramas to come.

Mulgrew said: “If I had to bet on it, I’d go Celtic and Rangers but both of them need to navigate their way through. They are playing against two teams that are desperate to get there as well and to win some silverware as well.

“If they can get to a final and have that chance to do that they’re going to be up for it. Sometimes when you are playing against an underdog, it’s hard because all the expectation is on Celtic and Rangers. My prediction would be a Celtic v Rangers final but it will be difficult.”

And Mulgrew believes this two way fight for domestic dominance will come down to which of the two teams can handle the spiralling pressure as they head into the final straight. He said: “I tried to avoid it as a player but you just feel it.

“In Glasgow, it’s unique. You can go to the shop and somebody will say, ‘What happened on Saturday?’ and you just instantly get a feeling of how people are feeling. You get a sense of it just from the tone of their voice. You know. It’s the opposite if you win a game and even if the other team loses, you bump into fans