Rodgers could be forced to watch the April 7 derby from the Ibrox stands but Lambert reckons it's irrelevant.
Paul Lambert has warned the Celtic players to step up and take responsibility in their upcoming showdown with Rangers - regardless of whether or not Brendan Rodgers is in the dugout.
Rodgers stands charged by the SFA for his explosive blast directed at referee Don Robertson and VAR official John Beaton after their defeat to Hearts last month. He will find out a hearing on March 28 if he has been found guilty and, if he is, he will miss Celtic's following two matches - away to Livingston on March 31 then the potentially decisive showdown with Rangers at Ibrox on April 7.
The timing of the hearing has been called into question with some feeling it could have been held earlier so that a potential two-game ban wouldn't keep him in the stands at Ibrox. But regardless of whether Rodgers is in the dugout or not next month, Lambert feels it's the players who will decide it - and the manager's presence 'doesn't matter a jot.'
He told The Celtic Way: “It doesn’t really matter a jot if Brendan is in the technical area for the Rangers game or if he is serving an SFA ban. He will have his players well-drilled, disciplined and organised. That’s when the Celtic players on the pitch will need to take responsibility. The onus will be on them to perform even if their manager is not there.
“Brendan knows the importance and the hype of the Rangers game but he can only take the players so far. The rest is up to the Celtic players and what they do on the day.”
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