O'Neill: Trophy challenge a 'wake-up call' | Röhl: Rangers must win silverware

Ibrox will stage a second Old Firm showdown in seven days on Sunday when Celtic and Rangers collide in the Scottish Cup quarter-finals, and both managers acknowledge the stakes have never been higher in a season that threatens to leave Glasgow's giants empty-handed.

Martin O'Neill, overseeing his second interim spell this campaign, warned that the very real prospect of finishing without a trophy should serve as a "wake-up call" for a club accustomed to dominance. Celtic have claimed 13 of the last 14 Premiership titles and a flurry of cup successes, but this campaign has veered into chaos. Hearts currently lead the league, five points clear of Celtic and six ahead of Rangers, while St Mirren already lifted the League Cup. For the first time in seven decades, neither of the Old Firm could finish with a major honour.

"The overall picture is that it should be a wake-up call for the football club," O'Neill said. "You could say that in recent years fans have maybe been spoiled, no real challenges in many aspects. Being able to coast home in the last six or seven games of a season, which is great because you've done that. But the challenge has not been strong. Here it is."

Celtic's momentum swung last weekend when they clawed back a 2-0 deficit at Ibrox to draw 2-2, then leapfrogged Rangers into second place by beating Aberdeen. O'Neill believes Sunday's cup tie will hinge on confidence rather than league destiny, with only nine league fixtures remaining. He confirmed that left-back Kieran Tierney will be reassessed after a foot injury, while goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel returned to training after a shoulder injection.

Across the divide, Rangers manager Danny Röhl is under no illusions about his mandate. Since taking over a side 13 points behind Hearts in October, he has trimmed the gap to two points, but back-to-back draws have stalled momentum. Now only a cup run can salvage a campaign that he concedes must end with silverware.

"As a Rangers manager, you have to," Röhl said flatly when asked if he must deliver a trophy. "As a club, we have to. With our ambitions, we have to. I also don't take excuse that we come from 13 points behind. This is part of the job."

Röhl, who has a fully fit squad, intends to replicate the first 50 minutes of last weekend's derby, when Rangers dominated and surged 2-0 ahead before Celtic's second-half revival. He reminded his players that Sunday will feature 7,500 Celtic fans in the Broomloan Stand, the largest visiting allocation at Ibrox since 2018.

"We spoke about the good things, we spoke about the things we have to improve," he said. "I think this is the focus where we are and what we want to do over 90 minutes, of course, or 95 and if it's necessary over 120 minutes."

The winner advances to the semi-finals and keeps alive the dream of a trophy while simultaneously denying a rival. For one of the Old Firm, the season will end in regret; for the other, Sunday's collision offers a final chance to rescue a turbulent campaign.