Jota relishing chance to experience ‘special feeling’ of Old Firm derby

Celtic winger Jota is relishing the chance to experience the “special feeling” of playing in the Old Firm derby for the first time in almost two years.

The Portuguese scored four goals against Rangers in his first stint with the Hoops between 2021 and 2023, including two that proved to be decisive strikes in back-to-back derby wins in April 2023.

Having spent 18 months away from Parkhead after joining Al Ittihad in Saudi Arabia and then French club Rennes, Jota – who returned to the Scottish champions in January – is excited about facing Gers on Sunday for the first time since he played in a 3-0 defeat at Ibrox in May 2023.

“For people to realise what this game is about, they need to be here,” he told Celtic TV ahead of this weekend’s showdown at Celtic Park.

“For the players who have the opportunity to actually be involved in this game, it means something different. It’s a very special feeling.

“It’s something that every player should feel once in their lifetime. Luckily for me, I’ve had the opportunity to play a lot of them and I want to play many more. So, I’m just excited about it.

“The atmosphere is the first thing that comes to my mind. I would say the feeling of Champions League is something different, but right next to it is the game against Rangers. You can feel it’s different. There’s this sense in the air that today is the derby and today we go for it.”

Ange Postecoglou was the Celtic manager throughout Jota’s first spell and he has enjoyed adapting to life under current boss Brendan Rodgers over the past month-and-a-half, a period in which he has already made 10 appearances.

“It has been an amazing time with the lads and just getting back together to see some familiar faces,” said the 25-year-old. “It has been a really great experience in these first matches. I really like the way things are going and I just can’t wait to see what else we can bring.

“Brendan is someone that gives us a lot of confidence, but a lot of responsibility as well. He demands a lot from us because he knows that we are capable of it. The standards are quite high.

“I really like the way we train, the way we play and then, as a group, we are all very together and we fight for the same thing. So, I think the connection between the coach and the players has been really nice.”