TEN men literally won the league for Celtic against Rangers on a famous Parkhead night in 1979.

With Jonny Doyle red carded, and Billy McNeill’s team behind in what was title-deciding game, it ended, in the words of chairman Desmond White, as the club’s greatest hour since Lisbon.

And last month, this time at Ibrox, a similarly numerically inferior Celtic side not only beat their old rivals but ended any hopes they had of winning the Premiership.

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Such defeats are difficult to shrug off and there is a feeling within Celtic’s inner circle that nine games without a win in this fixture, the last being an afternoon Rangers led twice and had one man more for almost all of the second-half, has got into the heads of the players across the city.

Scott Brown certainly agrees and when asked if the last game would be praying on the minds of his favourite opponent, the Celtic captain said: “It probably will be, yes. Also, us turning up with eleven men and going to Hampden. We’ve had great games at Hampden recently. We’ve played really well. We are going into the match on good form.

“Yes, it must be hard (for Rangers). On the other hand, it’s pushed us on a bit. I know we drew 0-0 at home to Dundee last midweek but we had 26 shots - 10 on target. All we needed was to get one in the back of the net. It shows you we still have the hunger and the passion to go for it. We just need to make sure we get the ball in the back of net and keep pushing on.

“It was always going to be hard going down to 10 men especially after 60 minutes. But we had a game plan and stuck to it. Most of the time if you stick to your game plan and everyone works together then nine times out of 10 you can pull it off.

“Luckily enough, big Odsonne turned up with an absolute worldie of a goal to win it. I think we probably defended even better with 10 men than we did with nine because we knew we had to focus on not having the ball as much as we would have liked to have done.”

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Ten in a row is a phrase which will be muttered, loudly, when six becomes seven leagues on the bounce soon enough, and it could also be quoted after this William Hill Scottish Cup semi-final because should Celtic win, which they are serious favourites to do, then that would be ten without defeat against Rangers.

Brendan Rodgers’s side may not have reached the heights of last season, that was never going to happen, but even those with the bluest of noses would accept that should Celtic play close to their best then they will win.

Brown is central to this. The captain loves and lives for these games. He has run them at times and lips are being licked and hands rubbed ahead of Sunday.

“Four or five years ago we played them seven times in a season,” he recalled. “I think probably everyone had enough of it at that point. Even you guys were getting bored of it. But for us to go on that run is fantastic.

“It shows you the quality we’ve shown in the last two years and how we have turned things around.

‘But I will never get bored of Celtic v Rangers games. I seem to enjoy them more and more and I think the fans do too.”

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Brown is right. Those fans say they do not enjoy the madness fool nobody. These games still mean the world and should Celtic win, again, it would be hard to see them not go on to win a successive treble.

This team are not perfect. They remain a work in process, particularly at the back, which even the very best Celtic sides were known for.

However, one huge defensive positive has been Krisstofer Ajer. The Norwegian, who turns 20 next week, has been superb after being transformed in to a centre-half by Rodgers.

Sure, he is raw, what teenager is not, but has shown more than enough to suggest that Celtic might just have a real gem on their hands. He will start against Celtic.

“When I first came to Celtic, Kris was a midfielder and I thought his best position would be centre half,” admitted Rodgers.

“Maybe in Norway, he could play midfield, but I think he has big possibilities at centre half. I knew he wasn’t going to get the games there for me at first, so we loaned him to Kilmarnock to get that positional experience.

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“But it was more so that he had to head the ball, because I knew he would be under pressure at Kilmarnock. That’s important if he’s going to do well in the British game.

“He did well there, came back to us and looked as if he’d developed as a man. Then it was just about timing - when to put him in.

“He did well in some of the Champions League qualifiers but still needed more time to develop. Now he’s in the team with a better understanding of the position.

“He has everything. His potential is huge. He’s 6’5, quick, can play football. He’s a very bright boy as well, he knows there is still a lot of learning for him. He’s got this great hunger to get better, which I love in players, and he’s not even 20 yet.”

Moving on and does anyone remember Marvin Compper?

The experienced German defender was supposed to be just what Celtic needed. Instead, he’s hardly kicked a ball. Rodgers, thought, believes the 32-year-old will have a part to play going forward.

“It was difficult for Marvin because he was injured in Dubai during the winter break, which put him out for a while,” said the Celtic manager.

“Then during that period, young Kris Ajer has come into the team and been absolutely outstanding. So there have been other ahead of Marvin.

“His qualities are pretty clear for us, his experience and his way of working with the younger guys in training.

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“Of course, he wants to play as well but these aren’t fitness games we are playing. I’m certainly not sentimental. We need to pick a team that gets the results.

“Like against Ross County last weekend, I’ll make a change if I don’t like the way we are playing.

“But Marvin is a good guy, I like him. Hopefully in his time here he gets a chance to show his qualities. But that’s only if other players aren’t playing so well.”

This is a minor concern for Rodgers. All he cares about is beating Rangers one more time and reaching four finals out of four.

Should his team to this, history will be made. Celtic supporters of any age should should cherish these times.