Celtic assistant manager John Kennedy believes last weekend’s tough experience at Ibrox can ultimately be of benefit to some of the younger players in the team.
The likes of Yuki Kobayashi, Alexandro Bernabei and Oh Hyeon-gyu were handed derby starts but were on the wrong end of a 3-0 defeat.
Celtic had already wrapped up the cinch Premiership title and beaten Rangers in both cup competitions but the first derby defeat of the season still stung Ange Postecoglou’s side and supporters.
However, Kennedy believes there was plenty to take from the game which can help treble-chasing Celtic continue to move forward.
“There is learning in every game for us, individually and collectively,” he said.
“If we go out and win 5-0 we will always pick the holes in it and the positives and feed that back to the players as a group and individually.
“It’s the same process when we suffer a defeat or a poor performance. The players are very comfortable with that, they know that.
“But sometimes in terms of going through that tough experience, you do get a lot of learning from that.
“When you are winning every week you get in a mindset and that becomes the norm, and sometimes it just shakes you up a little bit and gives you a reminder that if part of your game is not quite on it or if you don’t attack the game in the right intent, it gives us a reminder.
“Even the way we started the game wasn’t to our normal standards. Rangers came on to us, we lost a lot of duels, missed a lot of passes. And straight away that put us under pressure.
“It’s important for us to always remember that we play a style that we look to impose on the opposition.
“When the game is more challenging, there is certainly more things to look at.
“In hindsight, a lot of the boys will look back at that and learn a lot from that, especially the younger lads, who hopefully will be able to go into the next games and correct some of the errors that happened.”
Celtic had two-thirds of the ball at Ibrox but only one shot on target compared to Rangers’ eight.
Kennedy said: “I think that was Rangers’ strategy, they had two quick players at the top end, they gave up possession at times, but we were probably as wasteful with it as we have been in most of our games.
“In terms of decision-making, execution and the technical side of the game, we missed too many passes and made too many bad decisions.
“And that led to a lot of turnovers and gave Rangers the opportunity to hit us on counter-attacks and catch us when we weren’t quite organised.
“There was certainly a lot to look into on the game. As much as it was a bad result and poor performance, it’s a good reminder for us as a group that we have constantly got to be on it. You can’t drop 10 per cent because we know how much that affects our game.”
Celtic bid to bounce back at home to St Mirren on Saturday and Kennedy is sure there will be an edge to his team’s game, especially with the Scottish Cup final against Inverness to come on June 3.
The former Scotland international said: “There’s always that drive. Players are stimulated by playing for the club and you want to perform in every game. They are competitors and there is always that motivation.
“The fact we have the cup final to go, it gives us that stimulant right through to the end of the season.
“We are not just playing games out, we want to finish as strong as we can and it’s important we get the right form and conditioning going into the cup final because on the day you have to put in a performance that merits the win.”
Rangers incoming chief executive James Bisgrove has suggested away fans could return to Old Firm derbies next season albeit a full allocation of visiting supporters is “highly unlikely”.
The two most recent cinch Premiership Glasgow derbies were played in front of home supporters only due to “safety and security” issues.
Previous to that around 800 away supporters were allowed, which in itself was vastly reduced from the approximately 7,500 tickets which were once allocated to visitors.
However, Bisgrove – who will officially take over the role on July 31 – said: “It’s definitely an area we are going to look at.
“We are going to have dialogue with all the right stakeholders and authorities, be that Police Scotland, be that Celtic, and we recognise all the different viewpoints on that and we will see where those discussions go for next season.
“There’s no specific date in the diary for those talks but I would imagine that during the summer and before the next Old Firm game that the dialogue would take place.
“For next season, the season tickets have not been sold in the corner of the Govan stand, where the allocation was previously.
“So for next season we do have the opportunity should we decide to restore that allocation of about 700-800, that’s our maximum for next season.
“Beyond that it’s a broader conversation. We need to have that dialogue with those stakeholders because there’s a lot of different views on it.”
Celtic fans had traditionally occupied the Broomloan Stand at Ibrox for Old Firm clashes, with Rangers supporters housed in the corner of the Main Stand and Jock Stein Stand at Celtic Park.
Bisgrove said: “We’ll take the decision that is right for Rangers and is right for our supporters.
“I think the question was, ‘is there the chance to go back to the traditional allocation of 8,000?’ I think that’s very unlikely at the moment.
“We need to see where the conversations go. But I don’t think that is imminent at the moment.”
The Viaplay Cup final and the Scottish Cup semi-final between Rangers and Celtic this season were played at Hampden Park with a 50-50 split of tickets.
Marco Silva praised Roy Hodgson’s impact at Crystal Palace since his return, which has seen the Eagles find their feet in front of goal and climb the Premier League table.
Hodgson, who took over from Patrick Vieira in March, has steered the Eagles to safety with five wins in eight matches. There has also been an upturn in attacking output, with the south London club scoring 15 goals since their 4-1 defeat to Arsenal two months ago.
Fulham boss Silva talked up Palace’s improved attacking form, attributing it to the confidence former England boss Hodgson has instilled in his squad since his arrival.
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“The new manager impact for sure (has helped them in front of goal) because they are in a good moment,” Silva said ahead of Saturday’s clash between the teams at Craven Cottage.
“It was a matter of confidence for them to find goals because they have the quality, the talent up front, to punish any team in this league.
“When they won the first game under Roy (Hodgson) and then the second, the confidence came again on different levels and they’re now expressing themselves, you can feel during the matches.
“The way some of their players are playing right now you can feel they are full of confidence.”
Silva’s side dismantled Palace 3-0 at Selhurst Park in December but the Fulham boss admitted he expects a different challenge on Saturday as he highlighted the form of their young players.
Eagles top goalscorer Eberechi Eze has netted six goals in eight games, including a brace in last week’s 2-0 victory over Bournemouth, and Silva is aware of their attacking threat.
Silva added: “They also have the quality there, (Michael) Olise, Eze, (Wilfried) Zaha, (Odsonne) Edouard, the support they have from the midfielders.
“With the players they have they can go on, I think they have a lot of individual quality in the attacking line.
“You can see the young talents who have the experience already in the Premier League to create many problems for the opposition every time.
“They have some very good connections, the players link (with) each other very well and of course some players in the back line too.
“I think it will be a very good game against a good side who will want to keep the same capacity to get points – and we want to do the same.”
The Cottagers have avoided any threat of relegation on their return to the top flight, spending the majority of the campaign in the top half.
Silva, who stated in the summer that his squad “was not ready” for the league, credited his players for their efforts – they are currently only two points off their record Premier League points tally of 53.
He added: “We showed the capacity to adapt in any moment of the season in what the season demands of ourselves…some moments without our full squad, without some important players for us.”
Alun Wyn Jones, the world’s most capped rugby union player, has announced his retirement from the international game.
The 37-year-old lock played 158 times for Wales and made 12 British and Irish Lions Test appearances.
Wales flanker Justin Tipuric, who won 93 caps, had earlier announced his decision to step down from Test rugby.
The players’ decisions come less than four months before Wales’ World Cup opener against Fiji in Bordeaux, and both had recently been named in a 54-player preliminary training squad for the tournament by head coach Warren Gatland.
Writing on his Instagram page, Jones said: “Having been sele3cted in this year’s preliminary Rugby World Cup squad, and after ongoing dialogue with the coaching staff and WRU (Welsh Rugby Union), I have decided to step away from the international game.
“So, after 17 years, I look back on special memories with Welsh greats and future Welsh greats.”
Frank Lampard has revealed he tried to sign Erling Haaland for Chelsea during his first spell as the manager at Stamford Bridge.
The Manchester City striker came up against Lampard’s team in a pre-season friendly in 2019 while he was playing for RB Salzburg in Austria.
He scored 28 goals in 22 matches that season before signing for Borussia Dortmund the following summer, but Lampard said he attempted to bring him to west London instead during his 18-month spell in charge between 2019 and 2021.
Ultimately competition for the Norway international’s signature, together with the fact not everybody at Chelsea was convinced that a bid for Haaland would have been the right move, meant that Lampard was left frustrated.
His 36 Premier League goals for title-chasing City this season mean he has scored as many times in the league as the entire Chelsea squad have, with the two teams meeting at the Etihad on Sunday as City look for the victory they need to seal the title.
Chelsea by contrast remain in the bottom half of the table, with their struggles in front of goal this season having shown no sign of easing in recent weeks.
“I’ve got huge respect for him as a player, he’s a player I tried to bring to Chelsea the first time I was here,” said Lampard. “I was really keen to get him here but obviously that couldn’t happen. His level at that point was very clear, we played against him in a pre-season game for Salzburg.
“Credit to him, I love seeing players of that level, I love seeing players of that personality and hunger to play and be the best which he’s proved himself to be. In terms of having to deal with him you have to have obviously a plan and an idea, but players of that level can make anything happen at any moment.
“I think he’s special, I thought he’d adapt straight away just (because of) his level. I think with the level of players and his record of scoring, firstly in Austria then for his country and in the Bundesliga – which is not an easy league – to come into a really good unit already.
“The rest is just credit to himself and the team around him. I did expect that, it’s not just an easy hindsight answer, I’ve got real respect for the player.
“I don’t know whether he would have decided to come here anyway but I was a big fan. There are some of those that happen that people don’t know about that could have been this way, people talk a lot about mistakes and the things that could have been in football.
“Whether he would have come I don’t know, but I was pushing big, and for a couple of other players as well. But he was the outstanding one.
“From our point I was pushing it, I’m not sure what the appetite everywhere else in the club was to do it. The competition was big to take him because he was an outstanding player. I think there was a buyout clause at the time which I think was relatively reasonable given the player (he joined Dortmund for around £17million). I don’t have enough detail to say how close it was.”
Lampard has two matches left of his interim spell in charge, with Manchester United at Old Trafford and Newcastle at Stamford Bridge to come after City.
He has won only once during his eight games in the job, a 3-1 victory at Bournemouth earlier in May, with six defeats having come in that time including a Champions League exit to Real Madrid.
Mauricio Pochettino is expected to be confirmed as the permanent successor to Graham Potter, who was sacked on April 2, in the coming days, and he will have a huge rebuild on his hands after a disastrous season for the club.
Despite the poor form, Lampard said he has no regrets about agreeing to take over in the short-term from Potter.
“I have enjoyed it, I get asked it a lot,” he said. “You want to always get results but you have to be realistic in football. When I came into this, the Champions League dream that everyone talked to me about, (saying) it’s been done before, can we do it again?
“The realistic answer was we were where we were in the league for a reason. Our view was to try and beat Real Madrid then possible City to get to a final. In terms of the rest of the job, it’s been how many small wins can I try and impact behind the scenes. You can’t always impact results.
“Generally there’s a lot of work to do here. I can have a certain impact with certain individuals within the group because I have a big feeling for the club.”
Giavellotto turned the tables on his St Leger conqueror Eldar Eldarov to secure top honours in the Boodles Yorkshire Cup.
The Roger Varian-trained Eldar Eldarov was the Classic hero at Doncaster, a race in which Marco Botti’s Giavellotto passed the post in fourth but was later promoted to third after suffering interference.
In a twist on the Knavesmire, Giavellotto was the one causing interference, but following a stewards’ inquiry the placings remained unaltered in the one-mile-six-furlong feature.
Ninth behind the reopposing Broome in the Dubai Gold Cup at Meydan in March, the 14-1 chance quickened up smartly to grab the lead under Andrea Atzeni, but hung left under pressure, impeding both the long-time leader Quickthorn and Broome on the far side of the track.
In the meantime Eldar Eldarov, making his first appearance since the autumn, was building up a head of steam closer to stands rail and charged home to beaten just half a length, with Broome only a further length behind in third.
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has paid tribute to the departing quartet of James Milner, Roberto Firmino, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Naby Keita.
All four will leave when their contracts expire next month and are guaranteed an emotional send-off at Anfield against Aston Villa.
All leave as Champions League and Premier League winners and while Firmino and Milner, who arrived in the summer of 2015 a few months before Klopp replaced Brendan Rodgers, have played a greater role, the manager insisted all four had made significant contributions.
“We spoke already with the boys earlier this week about it,” said Klopp.
“It is super-important for us and kind of super-emotional as well for different reasons because we say goodbye to, from my point of view, four Liverpool legends.
“Two of them were here when I arrived – Millie (Milner) and Bobby (Firmino) – and nothing of all the good things which happened in the last few years would have happened without them.
“Bobby, my God, how much I love the guy. It is 100 per cent deserved.
“Millie played an incredible number of games, I think I am the manager he played the most games for in his career, and probably the same for Bobby.
“My English is not good enough to really express my respect for them but that’s the same for Ox (Oxlade-Chamberlain) and Naby, for different reasons.
“Ox was unlucky in moments with bad injuries in absolutely the wrong moment. I remember the (2018 Champions League game) against Roma when he got badly injured and I had no clue how to sort that situation as he was that good and pretty much irreplaceable in that moment.
“Everyone knows we spent a lot of money on Naby and there were a lot of expectations and because of injuries in the wrong moments he couldn’t fulfil all of them but go back and look at the football he could play in his good moments.”
Milner has been heavily linked with a move to Brighton, but the futures of the other three are less clear, although they will not be short of offers.
Klopp added: “I wish them all well and hope they find a place where they are as much respected and needed as here and they find their luck again because they had a lot in the last few years.
“All four won pretty much each available trophy and we love them but it is professional football and nothing is forever.
“There is always a moment and it’s a good moment because it means one chapter will be closed and we can start writing a new one, which is good as well for them and for us.
“I will be forever thankful to them because without them nothing would’ve happened. They were super-important in all they did and that’s the farewell they deserve.”
Pep Guardiola has no plans to celebrate if Manchester City win the title without playing on Saturday and compared closing out the Premier League season to a tennis player serving for Wimbledon glory.
City are on the brink of a fifth top-flight crown in six seasons and it will be confirmed before they next play if challengers Arsenal lose to Nottingham Forest on Saturday.
Guardiola insists he is not thinking about that prospect, however, and is focusing only on beating Chelsea at the Etihad Stadium to win it on the field themselves on Sunday.
The City manager said: “I don’t think (we’ll be celebrating) because we have a game the day after and Chelsea deserve it.
“In my mind, I’d like to feel we have to win to be champions. This is what we have to think.
“We cannot control Nottingham and it doesn’t matter what happens in Nottingham. We have to do our job and win our game.
“If we can win we can celebrate in the stadium with our people and that would be the best.”
Wrapping up the title this weekend would cap a memorable week in which treble-chasing City reached the Champions League final with a stunning victory over Real Madrid on Wednesday.
Guardiola says there has been little time to celebrate that achievement as he now tries to ensure City, who trailed Arsenal by eight points last month, see out the job in the Premier League.
He said: “Of course we are satisfied to be able to play the Champions League final but it’s non-stop.
“Now is coming the most difficult thing. Tennis players say to serve to win Wimbledon is the most difficult one.
“On Sunday, the game is in our hands to win the most important competition. We’re lucky to have the chance to finish at home with our people. We have to take it.”
Guardiola knows how difficult it can be to cross the line. In April 2018 they had to put celebrations on hold after surrendering a 2-0 lead to lose to Manchester United and last season they risked losing the title to Liverpool on the final day after falling behind to Aston Villa.
Guardiola said: “I have a good memory. When we played against United to win the Premier League, 2-0 up at half-time and we lost the game.
“Against Aston Villa we were 20 minutes away from losing the Premier League at home. So the last one is the most difficult one because there are a lot of emotions and many things.
“You have to control it and be focused. We cannot be distracted right now. We will not forgive ourselves if we are distracted in something.”
Despite those reservations, recent form suggests Guardiola has brought his players to the boil at just the right stage of the season.
Such is their intensity that Guardiola and key player Kevin De Bruyne shouted at each other during the victory over Real Madrid, and the manager says he has no problems with that.
He said: “The action with Kevin, I love it. We shout at each other. I like it. I like this step from Kevin.
“Sometimes, in some games, it’s a little bit flat and I like this energy. This is what we need from him. After that he becomes the best.
“It is not absolutely personal. These things must happen to be competitive and be a good team.”
Bournemouth manager Gary O’Neil has challenged his side to continue pushing for points ahead of Saturday’s clash with Manchester United.
Despite being in the mix for relegation for most of the season, the Cherries secured Premier League survival last weekend and they now sit 14th in the table with 39 points.
Their survival bid saw them pick up some vital wins, including memorable victories against Tottenham and Liverpool.
They now face a tricky test against a United side pushing for Champions League football, but O’Neil believes the game offers a perfect opportunity for his team to respond to last weekend’s 2-0 defeat by Crystal Palace.
He told a pre-match press conference: “We’ve lost our last two games so 39 points is a good tally, but it was better two weeks ago so we’ve been stuck on it for a couple of weeks.
“We set ourselves a goal and we’ve achieved it, but does that mean that we’re just happy to just stop, park up and finish on 39 points? Definitely not.
“Last weekend was a good reminder that if you drop your level a little bit, it can look like a lot at this level; the Premier League is ruthless.
“We’re looking for a response from last weekend and Manchester United at home is a great fixture for the boys to go and show what they can do.
“We’ve got full focus on Manchester United, we’ve managed to get some good work done on preparing for what is going to be a very tough game against a good side that are still pushing hard to make sure they qualify for the Champions League.
“It’ll be a good test for us tomorrow.”
Jefferson Lerma could be involved on Saturday and is expected to wear protection after breaking his nose against Crystal Palace, while Hamed Traore is still ruled out.
O’Neil also confirmed that Antoine Semenyo has undergone surgery to a shin injury and is hoping for a “speedy recovery” ahead of pre-season.
“Antoine has had surgery so he will be out until next season,” O’Neil said.
“We’re hopeful he gets back and can have a decent little spell with the team before the season starts but it will depend on how quickly he recovers.
“Everything went well and we’re hoping he has a speedy recovery because he can be a big help again for us next season.”
Wales flanker Justin Tipuric has retired from international rugby with immediate effect.
The 93-cap Ospreys forward’s decision comes less than four months before Wales’ World Cup opener against Fiji in Bordeaux, and he was recently named in a 54-player preliminary training squad for the tournament by head coach Warren Gatland.
Tipuric, a former Wales captain, made his international debut in 2011, while he has also toured with the British and Irish Lions.
In a statement released by his agents WIN Sports Management, Tipuric said: “During the off-season I’ve had time to reflect on my playing career, and now seems the right time to step away from international rugby.
“It has been a privilege to put on the Welsh jersey and have so many great memories.
“I would like to thank all the players and coaches I’ve been fortunate enough to work with over the years, and the wonderful support I’ve received from the Welsh public.
“I am looking forward to spending more time at home and putting all my energies into playing for my home region the Ospreys.”
Irish raider Sounds Of Heaven caused a minor upset in a thrilling renewal of the Oaks Farm Stables Fillies’ Stakes at York.
A quality field of eight fillies went to post for a Listed contest better known as the Michael Seely Memorial, three of which brought unbeaten records to the table.
Silver Lady was the 2-1 favourite, having made a deep impression on her Newmarket debut, with Ascot winner Queen For You and Newbury scorer Fakhama also lining up following successful introductions.
The Jessica Harrington-trained Sounds Of Heaven had finished fourth on her first start at Gowran Park before opening her account at Leopardstown in October, and on her first outing in seven months she was never too far off the pace in the hands of Ronan Whelan.
After taking a lead from Stormy Sea for much of the one-mile journey, Sounds Of Heaven (14-1) took over with a furlong to run and stuck to her guns once challenged by both Queen For You and Silver Lady, seeing them off by a short head and a neck respectively in the hands of Ronan Whelan.
Harrington was not on the Knavesmire, but said: “That was brilliant. I fancied her going over there, we just hadn’t been able to get a run into her because of the ground. We knew she wanted nice ground so we’ve waited with her and it’s paid off.
“The race wasn’t really run to suit because they didn’t go very quick, but she was lovely and relaxed. I just said to Ronan to keep it simple and he did.
“Her form had worked out well from last year, she made her debut on soft ground but won next time on better ground and the second (Boogie Woogie) ran well in a Group One in France.
“She’s in the Irish Guineas as well as the Coronation Stakes, so we’ll just wait and see what we do.
“She’s a gorgeous filly with a lovely temperament.”
Should Sounds Of Heaven head to Royal Ascot for the Coronation Stakes, she could well renew rivalry with John and Thady Gosden’s runner-up.
“It was a big run, just the second of her life, I’m thrilled with her,” said Gosden senior.
“She got the one beaten beside her, but she didn’t see the other one.
“There’s no reason we wouldn’t go to Ascot at this stage. She’s a big girl, she’s grown a lot and developed a lot.
“She travelled beautifully, better than anything, she just didn’t win.”
Lee Johnson is hoping to remain at Hibernian “for the long haul” after coming through a roller-coaster first year as manager with his team firmly in contention to qualify for Europe.
The 41-year-old former Bristol City and Sunderland boss has the Edinburgh club fifth in the cinch Premiership, just a point off fourth place, with three games of his maiden campaign in charge remaining.
Johnson has had to deal with a dire run of injuries to key players, a major overhaul of the recruitment structure, and some patchy runs of form, as well as the death of owner Ron Gordon in February.
However, he is relishing his role at Easter Road and is eager to oversee sustained improvement in the coming years.
“I would love to be here for the long haul,” Johnson said on Friday, the first anniversary of his appointment. “I think it’s a brilliant club. The staff are fantastic, I like the dynamic at Easter Road and HTC (Hibs Training Centre).
“I feel like we’ve still got a lot to do, we’re not finished. A lot of that is finance permitting but success on the pitch brings greater finance and the great thing about this club is that there’s no money ever being taken out.
“It all replenishes and goes back into the right places for the good of the club in the long term. And I am a long-term manager. I’m not one of those that comes in as a quick firefighter and then I’m gone.
“I feel like sustained progression is very important for the long-term future of the club and that’s how I try and perform as a manager, by making the right decisions on a daily basis for the short, medium and long term.”
Asked for his reflections on his first year at Hibs, Johnson said: “There’s probably a book in there, or certainly a chapter. I think we’re progressing, I genuinely do.
“It was a more difficult job than I anticipated looking at it from afar. When you’re then in the building you see there are a lot of good people but a lot of systems and processes that needed to improve.
“We talked a lot about our recruitment (previously) but I think that’s in a good place, well funded, well organised, well structured with good personnel. Recruitment is massive.
“The facilities are great but we’ve just spent £1 million on the pitches at Easter Road and at the training ground. And we’ve got progression in terms of making the top six and scoring more goals.
“Plus, we’ve had a very difficult season in terms of having our money on the pitch and having key players available. Overall, we’ve got ourselves in a position where we can deliver a form of success if we have a good six days next week.
“We’ve got the opportunity to qualify for Europe. I’d love it to have been in third, although that’s a real long shot. Fourth isn’t unrealistic, and fifth – if you’re a betting man – has a good chance, even though there’s a lot to do. We know Celtic have got to do the fifth-place team a favour (by beating Inverness in the Scottish Cup final), therefore we need to go and try to stake a claim for fourth place.”
Hibs have been linked with Wales international midfielder Jonny Williams, who is a free agent after leaving Swindon.
“Jonny’s one that’s out of contract so would naturally come into a club our size’s consideration but at the same time there are so many factors,” said Johnson. “Every player that’s out of contract, including our own, go into that pot of potential availability, and then the player’s got to be affordable, accessible and available.”
Meanwhile, former Blackburn boss Steve Kean has left his role as Hibs’ academy director to become manager of Georgian side Torpedo Kutaisi.
Jamison Gibson-Park says Stuart Lancaster will be “dearly” missed as Leinster bid to give the former England head coach a fitting send-off by clinching European glory.
Lancaster, who has served as senior coach under Leo Cullen since 2016, will leave the Irish province at the end of the season to become director of rugby at French club Racing 92.
Leinster’s final shot at lifting silverware before the 53-year-old heads to Paris comes on Saturday evening when they take on La Rochelle in the final of the Heineken Champions Cup in Dublin.
“He’s had a profound effect on my career – and I’m probably not alone in saying that – with regards to what he’s done here at Leinster,” scrum-half Gibson-Park said of Lancaster, who will be replaced by South Africa head coach Jacques Nienaber.
“It’s been incredible really. The turnaround from the start, the consistency throughout, his mindset has just been awesome.
“The way he came in and certainly for me personally changed a lot of things in my outlook on rugby. And I think that’s across the board with the rest of the team as well.
“He’s had a pretty massive impact on me and we’ll miss him dearly. Hopefully he goes well over in Racing.”
Leinster have a chance for immediate redemption against La Rochelle – 12 months on from a painful last-gasp 24-21 loss to the French side in the 2022 final in Marseille.
Having suffered a semi-final exit to rivals Munster in the United Rugby Championship last weekend, Cullen’s men will attempt to end the campaign on a high at the Aviva Stadium ahead of a handful of notable departures.
In addition to the imminent exit of Lancaster, who contributed to Champions Cup success in 2018 and four URC titles, long-serving wing Dave Kearney and injured captain Johnny Sexton are heading towards retirement.
Asked if giving Englishman Lancaster a trophy to leave with was extra incentive, Gibson-Park said: “I don’t think he would expect us to think of it that way but obviously Stu’s moving on and a few other guys are finishing up as well.
“It’s obviously incentive but there’s a performance you have to get right before you start worrying about that stuff.
“We’ll be focused on that but sure there are some guys that deserve a pretty good send-off.”
Leinster are hoping to equal Toulouse’s record of five Champions Cup titles by exacting revenge on Ronan O’Gara’s side.
Ireland international Gibson-Park will return to the starting XV alongside a host of other star names after head coach Cullen opted to rest them for last weekend’s surprise 16-15 defeat by Munster.
“It’s finals rugby and it’s win or die,” he said. “Small margins.
“We will just be chasing a performance and that’s the most important thing for us, to try and get that right.
“Obviously it’s very tough with a team as good as they are so it’s going to be challenging but we’re looking forward to it.”
Asked if Leinster will alter their style due to the formidable size of the opposition’s pack, he added: “We won’t be changing things drastically, I don’t think.
“But you’ve got to be smart around how you attack them so we’ll see how we go.”
Oak Hill continued to provide a stiff test as the 105th US PGA Championship got back on track on Friday.
A frost delay of almost two hours meant the first round had not been completed on schedule on Thursday, with 11 groups still out on the course when play was suspended at 8.30pm local time.
American Eric Cole was one of the players involved and had reached five under par after 14 holes to find himself on top of the leaderboard.
However, when play resumed at 7am on Friday the world number 122 hit his first shot of the day into the water to the left of the sixth green to run up a double-bogey six.
Cole parred his final three holes to complete an opening 67 and share second place with Scottie Scheffler, Dustin Johnson and Corey Conners, a shot behind former US Open champion Bryson DeChambeau.
Johnson began his second round with four straight pars to remain three under, with England’s Justin Rose another stroke back.
Rose had completed an opening 69 by chipping in for birdie on the 18th on Friday morning and, after a quick turnaround, picked up another shot on the 10th, his first hole of round two.
DeChambeau was among the later starters in round two along with world number one Jon Rahm, who faced an uphill battle to make the halfway cut.
Seeking back-to-back major titles following his Masters triumph at Augusta National last month, Rahm birdied his opening hole in the first round before slumping to a six-over-par 76.
US Open champion and playing partner Matt Fitzpatrick failed to make a single birdie as he recorded the same score, but Rory McIlroy had fought back from three over par after nine holes to post a 71 despite struggling with an unspecified illness.
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