Jefte reveals his biggest Rangers regrets with tinge of sadness but Celtic 'fight' still gets him excited
Jefte had a taste of the derby chaos and has told the players who haven't experienced it before what they're in for this weekend
It’s been a chaotic season so far for both sides of the Glasgow divide.
But this weekend’s Premier Sports Cup semi-final at Hampden still has every ounce of appeal to former Rangers defender Jefte.
The Brazilian, 21, understands the fixture and the rivalry having played in four derby matches across his year at Ibrox.
Left-back Jefte, who left for Palmeiras in the summer, felt the emotions of a born and bred Glaswegian any time he pulled on the blue to face Celtic.
As though he had grown up in Bridgeton and not the Rio sunshine.
And he described the matches as “fights” that he fully expects to see again this weekend.
“I played some classic Rangers vs Celtic matches and man, it's an emotion,” Jefte said.
“It’s an extraordinary game. It’s a fight for every debt, every hit, it's one of the biggest classics in the world, right? So it's something out of the ordinary.”
Jefte has positive memories from his short stint with the Light Blues but he admits he also has regrets.
One particular disappointment was the cup final last season in the same competition when Gers were narrowly beaten by their fierce rivals on penalties.
It was a dramatic and enthralling afternoon at the national stadium that day but one Jefte recalls with a tinge of sadness in his voice.
“What do I remember of that day? It was very difficult,” he added.
“Both teams always want to be champions and win, but unfortunately for Rangers it didn't happen.
“We were very sad, shaken by the defeat, but we moved on and became stronger.”
Jefte came up against Nicolas Kuhn on that particular afternoon and he knows he wasn’t at his best.
But it was on the other wing where the left-back reckons Celtic have one of their strongest assets.
And Rangers will have to keep Daizen Maeda quiet this weekend if Danny Rohl’s side are to progress. He said of the Japanese: “He is a good player, he has his qualities and when he is on his day, it is difficult to stop him."