Dundee United and Celtic will meet as two seemingly irresistible forces in their Scottish Cup quarter-final.
”Wins breed confidence and right now we are scoring goals as well as being solid at the back.
”We have had four clean sheets in a row and that brings confidence too. The lads up front know that if they can sneak a goal then there is a fair chance we are going to win the match.”
As well as quiet confidence in the United ranks, there is genuine respect for what is being achieved by the Hoops.
”Celtic have been on an unbelievable run and they deserve a huge amount of credit for that,” said Rankin. ”They have that mentality where they just refuse to get beat and that allows them to kick on.
”People were calling for Neil Lennon’s head earlier in the season and saying that it wasn’t a good Celtic side. But they (the players) were just new and taking a bit of time to gel. It was obvious they were going to come good at some point.
”You feared actually when that would be because you knew someone was going to get a doing. There hasn’t quite been a 9-0 like there was against Aberdeen at Parkhead last season but they have certainly been on fire. They have goals all over their team and are also a big, physical side.”
Of course, Rankin goes into the big game on a personal high having produced yet another spectacular strike against Inverness Caley Thistle as United beat them 3-0 at Tannadice on Monday night. He opened the scoring with a curling shot from all of 25 yards to give ICT keeper Ryan Esson no chance.
He achieved all that only to be outdone by Tangerines teammate Johnny Russell, who conjured up a piece of magic for United’s third.
Looking back on his goal, Rankin said: “The ball was in the air and I felt I had a chance of winning it, which I did. As soon as I won it, space kind of opened up for me.
“Just when I went to hit it, though, the ball bobbled up a bit. Fortunately, I managed to get a bit of dip on it and I am not complaining it bobbled up as I caught it sweetly.
“Johnny Russell got a great goal as well and showed great feet and equally good awareness the way he took his goal.
“He took the goalie a bit by surprise because the way the ball is he probably expected him to hit it with his right foot, but instead he finished it on his left.
“It was great composure as he killed the ball which was coming at him at waist height. However, it doesn’t really matter who scores as long as we win.”
However, Tangerines midfielder John Rankin believes it is his club that will prove to be the immovable object on Sunday.
The mouthwatering last-eight meeting between United and the Hoops at Tannadice is one of the most eagerly-anticipated clashes of the season.
The home side go into the big game on a run of seven matches unbeaten since losing narrowly to Neil Lennon’s men at Celtic Park on January 14. Impressively, they have scored 17 goals during that run and conceded just twice.
The visitors have racked up 18 matches without defeat since being knocked out of Europe by Atletico Madrid on November 30 last year a sequence that has seen them clinch the SPL championship albeit still unofficially and reach the final of the Scottish Communities League Cup.
In these dreadful days for Scottish football as Rangers struggle for survival, this will surely be a golden opportunity to showcase what is good about our game.
Rankin believes United can make up for what was a disappointing display when Celtic visited in the league in early December Peter Houston’s men hardly kicked a ball as they lost 1-0 to a Gary Hooper goal.
He is confident that they are a different proposition now than four months ago and that they are capable of making it an Old Firm double after ousting the Light Blues from the cup in the previous round.
”It’s the two form teams in the country meeting and it’s going to be a great game played in front of a full house,” said Rankin. ”The atmosphere will be electric and the stage is set for a special afternoon.
”We are just hoping to do ourselves proud because the last time we played them here at Tannadice we let ourselves down. Celtic came here and dominated us.
”Sometimes you get a game when one or two players are poor but I felt that day that all 11 of us just weren’t at the races.
“So we’re obviously looking to give a good account of ourselves this time round and not to roll over. I don’t think we will because now we are a different team with a different mentality.”
Continued…