RONNY Deila has a dream.

It might not quite be Andy Dufresne in Shawshank Redemption, but the Celtic boss can envisage himself sitting down on a beach somewhere this summer, ice cold beer in hand, reliving the memories of a successful, if somewhat stressful, first season in Scotland. This 39-year-old will drink in his first experience of the Old Firm rivalry at Hampden this lunchtime, attempting to ignore the fact that for many the 90 minutes will define his tenure at Celtic.

"It's true that there will be a lot of judgment on me as a manager after Sunday," said Deila. "But when you're fighting for titles, the job never stops. Hopefully in the summer, in June, I can sit with a pint on the beach - and smile. It will be good to reflect on everything I've gone through here because there has been a lot of exciting times. And I know there will be even more to come."

Deciding exactly where this stands in his list of career highlights depends on the criteria used. "It's hard to say whether it's the biggest game of my career so far," he said. "It is, in terms of the attention it gets. But if you look at what it is - a League Cup semi-final - I've been involved in bigger matches."

A worldwide TV audience in excess of 100 million people will tune in for the first Glasgow grudge match in nearly three years, and the first since Rangers' readmission to the lower divisions following administration and liquidation. Among them will be viewers in Norway, just as they did in the good old days when Deila would sit, transfixed, as the likes of Henrik Larsson and Egil Ostenstad played in the fixture.

"I was quite young when I first saw the Old Firm derby," the Celtic manager said. "I don't remember the year but the game was on Norwegian TV. Henrik Larsson was playing, so was Johan Mjallby and maybe Egil Ostenstad.

"It was a Saturday or Sunday, early in the day, and I was watching it. The skills weren't always the best but the intensity and passion was there. Every time I watched football from Britain in Norway, I wanted to be part of it.

"You should be proud of this fixture. Scottish football has a lot of history and this derby is special - even for people in Norway. You can see it all over the world. A lot of countries will show it on TV, they're talking about 100 million seeing it. So it's not only people here who are interested in it and talking about it."

Short of running up a cricket score, Deila has more to lose than gain in today's encounter. Victory is widely taken as a given, defeat deemed unthinkable for the club's board and fans. Fortunately, whether it is tiddlywinks, table tennis or a national semi-final, it is a prospect the Norwegian simply won't countenance.

"I never think about losing, it's all about winning," he said. "I never lose a match before it's over. My family hates that about me because I think I'll win every game we're going to play - no matter what we are play. If you think about losing before it, you've lost. You have to believe you'll win and I really believe that on Sunday. I can't see myself losing."

Some great managers, and great managerial match-ups, have graced this fixture over the years, but the wider world - perhaps with the exception of Norway - may be somewhat non-plussed to find two men with such low profiles in the respective dug-outs this summer. Until a month or so ago, Kenny McDowall was a career assistant boss, while 12 months previously, Deila was coaching in the Arctic circle. But the former Stromsgodset boss is unafraid to articulate his ambition to join the likes of Jock Stein and Martin O'Neill.

"That's my target, my goal, my dream," said Deila. "To be up there with successful Celtic managers of the past. I want to put myself in their company. I love to win, I've said that from my first day - that's why I'm here. When you take the step from Norway to see how far you can go, it's all about winning. This would be a huge game for me to win."

Also new to this fixture is on-loan Manchester City defender Jason Denayer, who can expect something of an aerial onslaught on the damaged Hampden pitch.

"I have never seen a Celtic-Rangers match before," said Denayer. "Not even on TV. But I expect the Celtic-Rangers game to be even bigger than the Manchester derby. I watched two of the Manchester derbies last year and played in the reserve game. But everyone is speaking about this game, more so that United-City.

"Rangers are a good team. I expect aggression from them and a good game. But I am ready for that physical challenge if that's the way Rangers want to play."

Deila has been to Hampden on game day just once before, a spectator as Norway beat Scotland 1-0 in a match immortalised for the Chris Iwelumo miss. His friend and former Stromsgodset pal Vidar Riseth, memorably sent off in the infamous shame game of May 1999, will meet him for a coffee and a pep talk.

"I'll handle the occasion better than Vidar," joked Deila. "His red card against Rangers wasn't his only sending off - I had him as a player! I watched him on TV losing his head for Celtic. But I'll be calm. If I'm not calm, how can the players be? I won't be calm inside but I will on the outside."