It's fair to say Pat Bonner was around the block as a Celtic player.

 

Anyone who clocks up 642 appearances for a club - a record for a Celtic goalkeeper - knows a thing or two about the tapestry and culture of the team.

But Bonner will not feel the need to offer any words of advice to Craig Gordon this weekend as the Celtic stopper heads into his first Glasgow derby match at Hampden in the League Cup semi-final.

"I wouldn't have a single word of advice for Craig" chuckled Bonner. "He is a very experienced goalkeeper.

"He has played in the Premiership, he has played at the top international level and he is will know exactly what is going on in this game.

"He wouldn't need an old timer like me offering him anything at all. I am sure that he will be able to handle whatever comes his way.

"He is quite a relaxed guy and he will take it in his stride, I think.

"I will say that I have been very impressed with the way he has seamlessly went into the Celtic team this season.

"He looks like he has been there for years and for a guy who was out of the game with injuries for so long that says a lot.

"He is a fit guy, agile and strong and for a big lad he never seems to carry any weight at all."

And, as the teams prepare to meet at Hampden tomorrow afternoon, Bonner believes it is a game that will be like every other game between the sides that has gone before.

This is the first time in almost three years that Glasgow will host a derby game between Celtic and Rangers, a statement that in itself has already caused controversy.

"Much has happened at Ibrox on and off the pitch in that time yet, the former Irish internationalist believes that when the teams run out of the tunnel on Sunday afternoon that there will be little to differentiate it from any other game between the two.

"It is a derby game, a game between Celtic and Rangers and when the teams line up it will be like every game that has gone before involving them," he said. "The passion will be the same, the intensity will be the same, the will to win on both sides will be there - and every ball will be kicked by those in the stands.

"I can't imagine that the game will look any different despite what has happened."

There has always been an element of tension around the fixture and there are fears that this weekend could see the ugly side of the derby come to the fore.

Celtic, predictably, are favourites for the game and it remains to be seen just how events played out on the pitch effect those in the stands.

And Bonner, who will be a BBC pundit tomorrow, is hopeful that it is the football for which the game is remembered for.

"I think when you look at it, you would have to say that you'd fancy Celtic every time," he said. "But there is nothing as a straightforward Old Firm game.

"If Rangers had had a fluent season and were going great guns - like the way Hearts are a just now - then you would be more inclined to think that they might present problems for Celtic but I do often think that it is actually the form team that comes away with the spoils in this fixture.

"But like everyone else I would hope that we see a game of football played and that is what we are discussing afterwards. I don't think we would want to see any tensions spilling out.

"There will be emotions running high, there are always are when the teams meet, but hopefully they can be handled in the right manner.

"I think for many players it would be a real shame to say you played with Celtic but had never played against Rangers.

"It is an exciting fixture, it is one of the real selling points of our game and I think it definitely adds an extra dimension to the season having it. Put it this way, there isn't a seat to be had at Hampden this weekend. But like everyone else who will be watching, I'd like to think it's what goes on in the 90 minutes that dominates the post-match conversation."

For Ronny Deila, the game itself is something of a test. While it is unlikely he would pay with his job were Celtic to lose the game, it would be a stain on his tenure.

His credibility and reputation are on the line going into the tie against the beleaguered Championship side and while Celtic are still in contention for all three domestic honours and have a last 32 Europa League tie to look forward to against Inter Milan, this game is as big as any this season for the Norwegian.

The closest Deila has come to this fixture has been from an armchair, although former Celt Vidar Riseth - who saw red in the infamous clash between the two side in 1999 - has informed him of what to expect.

"It is a big game for him and I am not sure he'll quite be prepared for it because it is something you do have to experience to understand," said Bonner. "But these are the games that anyone in football wants to be involved in and I am sure he will understand just how critical the game is.

"Certainly he has people beside him like John Collins and John Kennedy who will have him well versed ahead of it."