Scottish Premiership title race: Celtic or Rangers in the driving seat?
A look at the race for Scotland’s top slot, including who is favored to win the Scottish Premiership, the critical matchups ahead, the thoughts of Sky Sports’ Kris Boyd and Chris Sutton, and much more..
Watch Rangers against Celtic live on April 7 on Sky Sports.
What is the state of play?
It’s been a rollercoaster of a season so far, and Celtic remain in first place – but Rangers have the potential to go two points ahead on Sunday.
Celtic’s 1-1 draw with Kilmarnock gives Philippe Clement’s team an advantage if they beat St Johnstone at McDiarmid Park, live on Sky Sports.
Brendan Rodgers’ side is currently one point ahead after playing one more game.
How Rangers battled back into the title race.
Few predicted a close title campaign when Philippe Clement replaced Michael Beale at Rangers in mid-October.
He inherited a side depleted of confidence, struggling in Europe and, in many people’s eyes, out of the title chase.
Celtic had a 10-point lead at one point in the season, but Rangers’ 16-game undefeated streak under the Belgian saw them close the distance to just five points with games in hand.
Just before the turn of the year, the champions answered with a 2-1 victory against their Old Firm opponents, putting Rodgers’ side eight points clear at the top heading into 2024.
Rangers, on the other hand, had two games in hand and defeated Hibernian in the first one after the winter break, before Celtic lost to Aberdeen.
Clement’s side then defeated Ross County to draw level with the Hoops in a title contest that is expected to go the distance.
Who is favourite for the title?
If only football was so simple! The answer was Celtic a few months ago, but it is now very hard to call.
The Hoops remain in the lead because they have scored more goals than their opponents; it is truly all to play for.
Both clubs have eight league games remaining before the break, including another Old Firm showdown.
Celtic have demonstrated that, despite occasional discontent in the fans and their advantage gradually eroding, they can deliver great results when the going gets difficult.
Rangers, meantime, have demonstrated that they are also in this race for the long haul, with Ibrox fans becoming increasingly optimistic.
Nevertheless, form is not the only aspect that matters. A lot may alter, including the mindset needed to win a title race, playing in Glasgow’s goldfish bowl, and the inevitable squad problems brought on by suspension or injuries.
Rangers have only won one league championship in the past 12 seasons, with Celtic having won 11 in total, including the 2020–21 season when they prevented their rivals from winning a record 10 titles in a row.
Both the manager and a number of Rodgers’ players have experience winning big games; the manager won back-to-back league titles, including an unbeatable treble, during his first stint in Glasgow.
League tables from recent years, like 2022, could initially give the impression that there have been close races for Scotland’s top slot. But in truth, that championship was already decided, and the last true title fight occurred in 2010–11, when Rangers won the championship on the final day of play.
Leave a Reply