Rangers are four points behind Celtic in the Scottish Premiership, and the pressure is already cranking up after a brutal weekend. With no European games to worry about, Derek McInnes’ squad was supposed to be hitting their stride. Instead, they just completely blew a golden chance to close the gap.
Dundee Disaster and Celtic’s Seven-Goal Statement
This past weekend was a gut punch for the Ibrox faithful. Rangers coughed up a lead on October 17, drawing 2-2 against Dundee. Just 24 hours later, what did Celtic do? They crushed Hearts 7-1, not just strengthening their position but probably making every Rangers fan want to throw something at their TV. That result pushed the Light Blues to a four-point deficit. Now, they’ve got St Johnstone coming to Ibrox on Saturday, and it feels like a must-win already.
No Europe Means No Excuses
Seriously, there can’t be any excuses. Rangers got bounced from their European qualifying campaign on penalties against Jablonec. It stung at the time, but it also handed them a massive advantage: no more continental matches. Celtic, on the other hand, has at least six more Europa League fixtures to deal with, starting with Celta Vigo on Thursday. Former Rangers midfielder Kevin Thomson, speaking on The Breakdown podcast, even said the schedule should totally favor McInnes’ team. He thinks playing before Celtic allows Rangers to put the pressure on. Imagine if they snag a win against St Johnstone, cutting the deficit to just one point before Celtic visits Hibernian on Sunday. Thomson believes that psychological edge is the “exciting part” of this title race. He’s not wrong.
McInnes’ Squad Has to Deliver
Thomson even suggested that a combined Old Firm starting XI would include more Rangers players than Celtic, which speaks to the individual quality he sees in this squad. But individual quality only gets you so far if you’re not consistent. Rangers have actually picked up 20 points from nine league matches, with six wins, two draws, and just one defeat. They’ve scored 13 goals and conceded seven. Plus, they had five victories in their previous six league games before that frustrating draw at Dundee. The defensive record looks encouraging, for sure, but they need to be way more efficient on offense and absolutely capitalize on their chances. McInnes has to make this European advantage count on the pitch, starting this weekend.
Rangers take on St Johnstone at Ibrox on Saturday. This is their moment to prove they can cut that gap. Can they finally put the pressure on Celtic? Or will we see another slip-up?
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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