Celtic, Leagues, Rangers, Scottish Premiership, Story


Alfredo Morelos copuld be provoked by Celtic, Rangers manager Pedro Caixinha says.

Rangers manager Pedro Caixinha has warned forward Alfredo Morelos to keep cool during Saturday’s Old Firm clash with Glasgow rivals Celtic at Ibrox.

Morelos has scored eight goals since his summer arrival from HJK Helsinki, but there have been signs that the 21-year-old can be easily riled.

And Caixinha believes Celtic could try to take advantage of that, warning: “He needs to control his emotional side. I need to send an alert, and that alert is that I know he is going to be provoked.

“My concern and my job is making him calm and not responding to that. But he’s a guy that, when things are growing and the environment is getting hot, he’s not stepping back — he faces the challenge.

Caixinha added: “I don’t care about them [Celtic’s players] — I just care about Morelos and for him to understand if that happens [that he is provoked], how he needs to react.”

But Celtic boss Brendan Rodgers responded by saying: “It is not really something we concentrate on.

“I don’t think he needs any help in that, watching the game the other night against Partick [in which Morelos could have been sent off].

“We really concentrate on ourselves. We always respect the other team and their qualities and focus very much on ourselves to get a good performance and result.”

Rodgers also addressed remarks made by former Celtic player Craig Bellamy, who said the manager, who won a domestic Treble last season, was expected to succeed in Scotland.

Bellamy added: “If you do well up there, it’s a case of ‘so you should.’ I just didn’t feel it mattered to anyone down south.”

But Rodgers said: “He was a very good player who came up here, so he understands what it is like up here.

“I am not up here to work on my next move from Celtic. I am here because of Celtic.

“I am not overly bothered what it does for my CV. My only worry is for Celtic, to do the best I possibly can here for the length of time I am here, and we will see what happens after that.

“After here, if it takes me back to Ballymena United in Northern Ireland or elsewhere abroad or the Premier League, so be it.”



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