Rangers go into today's first Old Firm derby of the season hoping a Portuguese lucky charm can give them the edge over arch rivals Celtic.
Nuno Capucho, who moved to Ibrox from FC Porto in the summer, has an impressive record of leaving Celtic supporters feeling tired and emotional.
The diminutive winger was part of the Porto team that defeated Martin O'Neill's men in the UEFA Cup final in Seville in May, shattering their cherished dream of a first European title since 1967.
Capucho was also instrumental in ending Celtic's interest in the 2001-02 Champions League and part of a Sporting Lisbon side that sent the Hoops packing from the UEFA Cup in 1993-94.
With a record like that, Capucho appears to be a little optimistic when he suggests that the Celtic faithful will not hold it against him.
"I don't think the Celtic fans will pick me out for criticism on Saturday because I think they understand football and recognize that what happened in Seville is in the past," he told Rangers News this week.
Rangers are top of a Champions League group that includes Manchester United while Celtic won plaudits across Europe for a measured 2-0 defeat of French champions Lyon on Tuesday.
Rangers may enjoy home advantage but having only arrived back from Greece at at 5am on Thursday morning, Alex McLeish's squad are at a disadvantage in terms of recovery time.
Celtic's major handicap is the absence of influential defender Bobo Balde, who is suspended after being sent off against Hibs last weekend.
Bologna on Thursday advanced past Empoli to reach their first Coppa Italia final in more than half a century. Thijs Dallinga’s 87th-minute header earned Bologna a 2-1 win and his side advanced 5-1 on aggregate. Giovanni Fabbian opened the scoring for Bologna with a header seven minutes in. Then Viktor Kovalenko equalized for Empoli in the 30th minute by turning in a rebound to finish off a counterattack. Bologna won the first leg 3-0. In the May 14 final in Rome, Bologna are to face AC Milan, who eliminated city rivals Inter 4-1 on aggregate following a 3-0 win on Wednesday. Bologna last reached the
If the Wild finally break through and win their first playoff series in a decade, Minnesota’s top line likely will be the reason. They were all over the Golden Knights through the first two games of their NHL Western Conference quarter-finals series, which was 1-1 going back to Minnesota for Game 3 today. The Wild tied the series with a 5-2 win on Tuesday. Matt Boldy had three goals and an assist in the first two games, while Kirill Kaprizov produced two goals and three assists. Joel Eriksson Ek, who centers the line, has yet to get on the scoresheet. “I think the biggest
From a commemorative jersey to a stadium in his name, Argentine soccer organizers are planning a slew of tributes to their late “Captain” Pope Francis, eulogized as the ultimate team player. Tributes to the Argentine pontiff, a lifelong lover of the game, who died on Monday at the age of 88, have been peppered with soccer metaphors in his homeland. “Francisco. What a player,” the Argentine Football Federation (AFA) said, describing the first pope from Latin America and the southern hemisphere as a generational talent who “never hogged the ball” and who showed the world “the importance of having an Argentine captain,
The Minnesota Timberwolves, with so many promising performances spoiled by late mistakes fresh in their memory bank, sure timed this strong finish well. Jaden McDaniels scored a career playoff-high 30 points and spearheaded Minnesota’s stifling defense on an ailing Luka Doncic, and the Timberwolves beat the Los Angeles Lakers 116-104 to take a 2-1 lead in the best-of-seven Western Conference first-round series in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on Friday night. “Jaden never looks tired. He looks like he could play 48 minutes,” said teammate Anthony Edwards, who had 29 points, eight rebounds and eight assists. Julius Randle added 22 points for the Wolves, who outscored
RSS