O'Neill surprised by Rangers manager Rohl's remarks about Celtic

Celtic's temporary manager Martin O'Neill finds it "completely astonishing" that Rangers' opposite number Danny Rohl has weighed in on his choices for the upcoming Old Firm match at Ibrox this Sunday.

The Rangers manager mentioned it would be intriguing to observe which keeper O'Neill picks for the Scottish Premiership encounter.

Viljami Sinisalo shone in Celtic's 1-0 victory over Stuttgart in the Europa League on Thursday, stepping in for the veteran Kasper Schmeichel, who conceded two easy goals in the 4-1 loss to the German side in the first leg.

O'Neill learned of Rohl's remarks at his pre-match press briefing on Friday, shortly after arriving back in Glasgow.

"Is he selecting our lineup?" asked O'Neill, aged 73. "Congratulations, Danny, well played. He has been here for under a year himself.

"He will figure it out soon enough over the coming four or five years," the Northern Irishman continued, now in his second interim role with Celtic this season, having previously led the club from 2000 to 2005.

"Perhaps he has options among his squad, and I could offer my input on his plans.

"Sorry, I cannot help but chuckle. He made a remark about our squad selection? Unbelievable. Totally unbelievable. He has not been in Glasgow for long."

The German, who took over at Rangers in October 2025, also voiced "astonishment" that Celtic, in his opinion, did not push for a 3-0 win against Stuttgart, suggesting they settled for the 1-0 scoreline.

"He seems eager to get involved in these matches," O'Neill responded. "That is not how I viewed it.

"We were pushed back, as they are genuinely a strong outfit. They sit in the Bundesliga's top four. There is no reason for him to critique my lineup or our approach."

"I believe he has assembled a solid team there, and it will be challenging for us to secure a positive outcome at Ibrox," he noted. "Still, we remain in the fight."

The defending champions Celtic hold third place in the standings, trailing their fierce Glasgow foes Rangers by two points but with one match yet to play.

By Sunday's start, they might lag nine points behind table-toppers Hearts, though with two fixtures in reserve against the Edinburgh team.

"Our matches are dwindling," O'Neill stated. "We have been chasing for some time now. We are still pushing to close the gap. The defeat to Hibs hurt, but it was not fatal. We are hanging in there."