Rangers Coach Jo Potter Discusses Derby Intensity, Past Learnings, and SWPL Competitiveness Ahead of Celtic Match

Rangers head coach Jo Potter addressed the media in anticipation of Sunday’s Old Firm derby against Celtic in the SWPL. Potter emphasized the inherent “added edge” of derby matches, stating they “always bring that little more spice to it” and are “the exciting ones.” The former England international underscored her team’s consistent approach, stating, “our mentality is always the same. We want to win. We saw last year we slipped up elsewhere and that was our downfall.” She also commented on the competitive nature of the SWPL table, where only five points separate the top five teams, remarking, “You look at the improvements Hearts and Hibs have made. It’s what the league needed.” Reflecting on the previous encounter with Celtic, where Rangers conceded two late goals to draw, Potter aims to reinforce her players’ strengths. She acknowledged, “We were our own downfall in that last game,” adding, “Hopefully we can go out there and prove we’ve learned from it.” Potter suggested that Celtic’s recent Champions League schedule might offer a slight advantage, though she maintained that the team’s core strategy remains unchanged. She stated, “We’ve got to try and take every advantage that we can. We need to really make sure we’re doubling down on what we can do to punish Celtic and that would be the same if they had not had a midweek game.” Additionally, Chelsea Cornet has returned to full training this week. Potter described Cornet as “one of our players of the season last year so it’s a big boost,” and reported a “healthy” overall squad.