Today’s game between Celtic and Rangers is not one that is going to determine who wins the Scottish Premiership.
Whilst I wrote earlier today that I believed it would give whoever wins the Glasgow Derby a huge psychological advantage, there is still a lot of football to be played before any titles are handed out.
For Rangers, they have the opportunity to reclaim the top spot ahead of the Dundee game on Wednesday night.
But for Celtic, a win today would put us four points clear and right in the driving seat with the final derby still to play at Celtic Park after the split.
However, BBC pundit Michael Stewart believes that for Celtic to be title favourites they don’t need to win at Ibrox this afternoon.
Celtic need to ‘avoid defeat’ against Rangers
Whilst the Celtic fans go into every game against Rangers wanting and expecting, to win, Stewart believes that for Brendan Rodgers‘ side to become title favourites, they just need to avoid losing at Ibrox today.
Stewart said [Scottish Football Podcast], “I would make them marginal favourites to win the title if they avoid defeat.
“I think the momentum that they would take from that because I agree that Rangers are going into this as slight favourites.
“And at the moment I have Rangers as slight favourites for the title and if they can go to Ibrox in front of a full capacity crowd full of fans who are desperate for this victory, if they can avoid defeat there, then it is back in Celtic’s hands with obviously one eye towards the split derby game back at Celtic Park.
“And with those key players back in the team, I think they could potentially just be enough for them.
“But, and it’s a huge but, is can they avoid defeat tomorrow Ibrox.”
Whilst a draw would be regarded as a good result, I believe the Celtic fans, and Brendan Rodgers, will be desperate for the victory.
As Rodgers himself has pointed out many times over the past few months, the narrative surrounding Celtic in the title race from the media was that Rangers have pretty much sewed it up and his team was out of it after letting a seven-point lead slip in December.
But as we know, titles are not handed out in December. If Celtic win today, or even Rangers for that matter, the title is not over. Because there is still a lot of football to be played before the end of May.
But as I said before, a win for Rodgers will be huge in terms of a psychological edge. A defeat for Rangers could have a serious effect on Philippe Clement‘s side’s confidence heading into the final stages of the season.
But the big advantage Celtic has over Rangers is that we have a team full of title winners who know how to get a championship win over the line and if we get out of Ibrox with anything this afternoon, that will be a massive bonus heading into the final Scottish Premiership fixtures of the season.