Scottish Premiership title race: Celtic set to cling league title as Rangers suffer points loss.

Scottish Premiership title race: Celtic set to cling league title as Rangers suffer points loss.

From the opening weekend of the season, Celtic had held the lead, but Rangers took the lead in the middle of February.

That continued for a month until their match at Dundee was rescheduled, allowing Brendan Rodgers‘ team to reclaim the top spot by one point despite having played one extra game.

Now, as the teams prepare for their third match, which will air live on Sky Sports on Sunday, all eyes will be on Ibrox.

How Rangers battled back into the title race

When Philippe Clement took over for Michael Beale at Rangers in October, nobody anticipated a fiercely contested championship race.

He took over a team that was lacking self-assurance, struggling in Europe and, most people thought, out of the title chase.

When the Belgian arrived, Celtic led by seven points, but Rangers had gone 16 games without a loss to trim that lead to just five with two games remaining.

The champions answered with a 2-1 victory against their Old Firm rivals just before the year turned, and Rodgers’ team was eight points clear at the top going into 2024.

However, Rangers still had two games left, and they won both of them after the winter break. Celtic lost at Aberdeen, which gave Rangers a point differential at the top.

A day later, Rangers defeated St Johnstone to take the lead at the top for the first time this season, while the Hoops stumbled once more by drawing at home against Kilmarnock.

But all you have to do is look at the first weekend of March to see that there will be plenty of turns and turns ahead. For the first time since 2018, both teams suffered Premiership losses on the same weekend. Motherwell’s 2-1 victory at Ibrox gave Celtic the opportunity to reclaim the top spot, but Hearts defeated Rodgers’ team 2-0 at Tynecastle Park to deny Celtic victory.

After defeating St Johnstone in March, the Hoops did take the lead in the standings, albeit Rangers now have a game in hand due to the postponement of their match against Dundee.

Next up for both is the minor issue of an Old Firm at Ibrox, which will heighten the tension. Fasten your seatbelts—this championship race is going all out!

 

Pos.			P	W	D	L	GD	PTS
1		Celtic	32	23	6	3	51	75
2		Rangers	31	24	2	5	50	74
3		Hearts	32	18	5	9	10	59
4		Kilmarnock	32	12	12	8	7	48
5		St Mirren	32	12	7	13	-2	43
6		Dundee	31	10	9	12	-10	39
7		Hibernian	32	9	11	12	-7	38
8		Motherwell	32	8	12	12	-5	36
9		Aberdeen	32	8	10	14	-14	34
10		St Johnstone	32	7	10	15	-20	31
11		Ross County	32	6	9	17	-25	27
12		Livingston	32	3	9	20	-35	18

 

Who is favourite for the title?

If if football could be that easy! With less than ten games remaining, it’s truly hard to predict. In December, the answer was Celtic. In February, Rangers took the lead.

Rangers have three league games remaining before the break, one more than Celtic. Their next game is this Sunday’s pivotal Old Firm showdown at Ibrox, which will be shown live on Sky Sports.

Since Clement’s hiring, his team has outscored their opponents by six points in the league. The belief that the Rangers will compete for the championship all the way to the end is growing.

‘One game at a time’ is the blue side’s mantra, but supporters are beginning to hope for more trophies to be added to the trophy cabinet and an end to Celtic’s run of three straight titles.

But ignore Celtic at your own risk. Although they may no longer have the advantage, they have successfully traversed rough waters, and the goals are now flowing once again.

The team led by Aaron Rodgers has scored 20 goals in their last six games and is now in form.

In addition to outcomes, other factors also play a role. For example, the mindset required to win a championship match, playing in Glasgow’s goldfish bowl, and the unavoidable squad problems brought on by suspension or injuries can all alter significantly.

The return of important players like Cameron Carter-Vickers, Reo Hatate, and Alistair Johnston from injuries gives the Hoops a boost for whatever lies ahead.

They can also draw from their experience. 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.

What the pundits say

“The truth is that Celtic has made a lot of mistakes this season. They have defeated the Rangers twice, but each time they allowed an eight-point advantage to slip away, the Rangers have recovered.

“I’m quite thrilled because there hasn’t been a title fight in a while, so the winner will mostly depend on how brave they are.

“The acid test is that trip to Ibrox.” It is up to Celtic to disprove everyone because Rangers are confident and don’t think they will lose their position.

“We’ve got one hell of a title race on in Scotland this season.”

“Too much football was played under Michael Beale, and I don’t think Philippe Clement looks at it and wants to be the league’s greatest passing club. He isn’t really bothered by it. Winning the football match is what matters most.

I can see why Clement and Walter Smith have been compared to one other in terms of how they conducted business.

“Clement has traveled a considerable way. He is realistic in his assessment of the requirements for winning trophies, both in terms of weekly and individual game performance.

“There will be more twists and turns between now and the end of the season, there’s no doubt about that, but Rangers are in a good place at this moment in time.”

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