TWELVE months ago, Rangers were written off against Celtic but emerged victorious before going onto lose the Scottish Cup final.

Now, Pedro Caixinha’s side have a chance to experience the high of winning an Old Firm game once again and make amends for that disappointment against Hibernian.

It hasn’t been a good season for Rangers but a win over Celtic tomorrow would give them a chance of ending the campaign with some silverware. It won’t be easy, of course, but it can be done.

You never want to be beaten by Celtic and the chance for Rangers to go on and win the cup this season should be all the incentive that the players need.

It would be a huge lift for them and another confidence boost heading into the Premiership clash at Ibrox next weekend. The first one is the big one, though.

Normally I would say that we have to win both of them, and of course we want to win both of them. But, if you were given the choice of winning just one then it would have to be the game on Sunday.

There will be a lot of people that wouldn’t have expected Rangers to beat Celtic in any game this season.

We have two chances left to do it over the next week and the players will be determined to end that winless run in the Old Firm fixtures. It is a great chance at Hampden.

To get into the final is one thing, but to do it beating your biggest rivals is even more special. It is all there for the Rangers lads and it is up to them to make the most of it.

Pedro has got enough to focus on with Rangers without worrying what the game means for Celtic. He can’t be thinking about their unbeaten run or going for the Treble.

The only thing he can do is to try and get a result for Rangers, for himself, his players and for the fans.

If Rangers show the same application that they did at Parkhead and when they beat Aberdeen then they have got a chance. He needs to get that into their heads.

I know they are working hard in training but it all comes down to what they do on Sunday afternoon when there are 50,000 people watching and the noise is deafening. Can you cope with that in a semi-final? Rangers have to.

All the players would have been gutted to lose the Scottish Cup final last season, especially to concede the goals in the manner that they did.

You go away from that with a sense of regret because they won the league and had a chance of the Double.

I would like to think that they were all gutted after that. If they weren’t, then they shouldn’t be at Rangers.

They don’t want to feel that way again and the way to avoid that disappointment is to beat Celtic and then go on and win the cup. This is for themselves and for the club.

They have to get in Pedro’s good books in the coming weeks if they want to be here next season. The manager still has decisions to make and every player has a point to prove.

Look at someone like Danny Wilson. He has been very good in the last couple of games and has improved, which is good to see.

Rangers are going to have to play at their peak tomorrow. We know that the likes of Dembele, Sinclair and Forrest didn’t play well at Parkhead but Pedro will be expecting a far better performance from Celtic.

Celtic, going forward, are the best side in the country and Rangers will have to defend well, not just as a back four but as a team.

Celtic have got the better players and are in good form but that doesn’t mean that they will win the game. It is all about on the day. If Rangers have the right attitude, they can win.

Rangers have to get the sleeves rolled up and get in and about Celtic. If you allow them to play, they will play you off the park. Rangers have to defend well but they also have to be more clinical up front.

You don’t get many chances against Celtic so when we get them, we have to take them.

Look at the Aberdeen game a couple of weeks ago. We had four chances in a few minutes, we scored three and hit the bar then had one cleared off the line. Any chances that we get, we have to stick them away because any misses could be absolutely crucial.

I don’t think there is any pressure on Pedro. He has done everything that he can.

A manager can do all the preparation perfectly during the week, the tactics can be spot-on and he can give a great team talk. But if the players don’t play then it all doesn’t mean a thing.

The manager can guide them, but it is up to the players to get the job done. Pedro will have spent this week going through everything he wants the players to do and now he has to put his faith in the side that he selects.

Rangers have to prove that they are better players than what they have shown this season. A lot of them have let themselves down this year but this is a chance to make amends for it.

Celtic didn’t play well the last time but they will still be favourites. But players come to Rangers to win things and this is a chance for the players to move one step closer to the silverware this season.

We will have to be even better than we were at Parkhead and Pittodrie and they will be well aware of that. It is up to them now.

What have they got under that jersey? How big is their heart? We will soon find out.