Hartley: We're looking to win at Ibrox

Last updated : 25 December 2008 By Mikbhoy

Celtic lost the first Glasgow derby of the season back in August but Hartley doesn't think that it will have any bearing on the upcoming game "The last game we played against them is in the past and you only have to look to the run we went on after that result," he said. "When you take a defeat like that ,the important thing is how you bounce back after that. We came back pretty well and went on a great run and hopefully we can do that again."

"We will go to Ibrox with a lot of confidence. We are sitting top of the league, we had a good result at the weekend and it's a game we are really looking forward to." he continued "It's nice to be at the top of the league but you only have to look to last season and there's a long way to go. The games we had towards the end of last season might have won us the league, but I don't think this one will. Whatever happens, we will still be sitting top, but we will be going to Ibrox to try and win the game."

The Celtic midfielder has been laid low by a viral infection recently but he's back in training and is fit for first team duties once again. It's a vitally important match but Hartley doesn't think it will have a direct influence on the destination of the league championship "I don't think this game will have a bearing on the title race, you only have to look to last season and the lead Rangers had on us." said the hirsute Hartley "We went on a run towards the end of the season that changed that and there are a lot of games still to be played after this."

He's been a Bhoy since birth so these games have a special place in his heart "It's a great atmosphere, a wonderful game to play in and we are really looking forward to it - but it's only good if you get a result. We will go into the game with a lot of confidence after a good performance at the weekend." he said " It's a game you look forward to, that the supporters look forward to and there is always a great build up to the game, but like I said, they are only good if you get a result."

"They are undefeated there in over a year and have a good record at home," he added "but it's up to us to try and do something. In the past the derby games had a bearing on the league, but I don't think they do now, over the past couple of weeks the other teams have managed to take points off us, which is a great thing for them. You just have to look at the way the title race went last season, at the lead Rangers had at one stage and you know that this game will have no bearing on the end result."

Hartley forsees another close run contest in Celtic's quest for four-in-a-row "I think it will go to the wire again this year, maybe even the last game and there's no reason why it shouldn't. We're just going to try and win every game and see where it takes us." he said

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