Celtic defender Cameron Carter-Vickers admits the “ridiculous” noise took him by surprise when he first lined up against Rangers.
And the centre-back expects the atmosphere to be even better on Sunday, with close to 25,000 fans of each team set to descend upon Hampden for the Viaplay Cup final.
The former Tottenham player’s derby debut in Glasgow came in February last year when a 3-0 home win at Celtic Park sent Ange Postecoglou’s side top of the table and set them on their way to the title.
When asked if anything had taken him by surprise about the fixture and the rivalry, Carter-Vickers said: “Probably just the atmosphere. I think my first game against Rangers was the night game. The noise that night was ridiculous and it definitely did take me by surprise a little bit.
“But I am used to it now and it’s definitely a great environment to play in.
“On Sunday obviously it will be 50-50 and I think that will definitely add to the atmosphere. When both teams have equal support there it definitely makes for a good atmosphere.”
Carter-Vickers is rarely flustered on the park and he was equally measured off it when reminded about Fashion Sakala’s comments in the build-up to the final.
The Rangers forward this week claimed his side were “so much better” than Celtic and a “far better club” and referred to his rivals as the “other mob”.
Carter-Vickers said: “For me, I have got no problem with it. Every professional sportsman has to have some kind of level of personal belief to get to where they are. For me, it’s a normal comment for a professional sportsman to make.”
