PETER LOVENKRANDS believes that scoring the winner in an Old Firm encounter at Hampden Park has the potential to change a person's life.
Failing that, it is, at least, a surefire way to get yourself a couple of pints for nothing.
The Dane was an expert at putting Celtic to the sword whenever Rangers hooked up with their arch-rivals to settle a few scores on neutral territory in Mount Florida.
Of all those occasions, the one that stands out head and shoulders above the rest is the 2003 Scottish Cup final, in which he connected with a Neil McCann cross in the dying seconds to head home his second goal and complete a pulsating 3-2 victory.
It instigated an evening of wild celebrations throughout the night in a bar in the city centre of Glasgow and made Lovenkrands, then just 23 and hitting his stride at Ibrox, realise just what it means to emerge the hero from a Glasgow derby in which trophies and honour are at stake.
He expects nothing to have changed when the Old Firm return to business after a three-year hiatus tomorrow afternoon in the last four of the League Cup. Should Rangers' Class of 2015 somehow pull off the ultimate upset, Lovenkrands does not dare to imagine what will await the man who scores the all-important goal.
"Imagine Rangers going in and beating them 1-0," said Lovenkrands. "For the guy who scores that goal, it's going to be unbelievable.
"It can make careers for anybody and that's the case for players at Celtic as well, of course.
"I'm just hoping it's someone from Rangers who has that. It can be a life-changer.
"I knew things had changed for me when I scored the cup final winner and I had a couple of drinks with some of the boys at the Candy Bar.
"The DJ stopped the music when I walked in and the whole place was bouncing with people cheering me on.
"That's when I realised how much it really meant. That was a bit later on in the night and things really took off after that.
"It was absolutely unbelievable what it meant to everybody.
"It was something I didn't expect. I just thought I was going to go in and have a quiet drink with some of my friends, but the whole place erupted.
"There was one Celtic fan in there. I don't think he was very happy.
That historic brace was, by no means, Lovenkrands' only taste of success over Celtic at Hampden.
He scored in the Ibrox side's 2-1 CIS Cup semi-final victory over their arch-rivals in February 2002 and was the matchwinner when they met in the final of the same tournament the following season.
"I couldn't stop scoring against them in that period and it was great," said Lovenkrands, who went on to play for Schalke 04 and Newcastle United after leaving Glasgow. "You don't really know how big it is, how much it means, until you score against them."
That 2002 semi-final win was Alex McLeish's first taste of the Glasgow derby.
"It was an incredible start to my Rangers career," recalled the former Ibrox manager. "Then, we won the cup that season in the last nine seconds. Those are two of my best Old Firm memories."
McLeish accepts the greater weight of expectation lies on the shoulders of Celtic this weekend, but does not see them as certain victors, by any means.
"There are no favourites," he said. "The pressure is on Celtic.
"Maybe last year, it would have been a mismatch, but they can possibly give Celtic a go this year.
"Rangers' experienced players will be very important and I'm sure the younger boys will raise their game. Discipline has got to be a factor too.
"Everyone has been waiting for this game for a couple of years."
Lovenkrands, now an analyst on Barclays Premier League coverage for Danish TV and living back in Glasgow, agrees with his former boss in stating that Rangers have more than a fighting chance.
"I don't like the way people are saying Celtic should beat Rangers easily because they are in the top league," he said. "That's not the way it works.
"It's a derby, so everything goes out the window. It is 50-50.
"It's a massive occasion, especially after three years out of it, and the stadium is going to be absolutely bouncing. The city will be too."
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