Fran Alonso believes his side’s mental resilience could play a significant role in the outcome of this weekend’s Glasgow derby against Rangers.

The Celtic Women’s team face Rangers on Sunday (May 23) at the Rangers Training Academy in the final Glasgow derby of the season. The Hoops have beaten Rangers 1-0 in the previous two league meetings this season, and a win this weekend would see them move into second place in the league ahead of Rangers.

While the Celtic manager acknowledged that, on paper, Rangers are the favourites going into the game, he insisted his players are fully capable of coming out on top once again.

“The Glasgow derby is a special game for us, especially considering how well it’s gone for us in the last two meetings,” said Fran Alonso. “We’re very excited about the opportunity. It's three points we really want. Unfortunately, we won’t have our fans there but we know they’ll be watching and we want to give them something to cheer about.

'We’ll fight. On paper, we’re underdogs. They’ve invested heavily and signed some of the best players from Glasgow City. They’ve invested very heavily to try and win the league so they should be title contenders. We’re going to try and play our game and fight for the three points.'

“We’ll fight. On paper, we’re underdogs. They’ve invested heavily and signed some of the best players from Glasgow City. They’ve invested very heavily to try and win the league so they should be title contenders. We’re going to try and play our game and fight for the three points.

“The fact that they’re the favourites doesn’t give them the three points. Tactically we are a very good team. We know they’ll have the ball in the areas we want it but we know how to hurt them. In the last two games against them, we maximised our opportunities and minimised theirs. In the back of their minds, they’ll think this isn’t an easy game.”

Fran Alonso: Strong mentality will be crucial in derby clash