‘Barry Ferguson won’t accept it’- Kris Boyd states ‘excuse’ Rangers will use if they lose to Celtic

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Celtic might be cruising to the title, but that doesn’t mean there is anything less on the upcoming derby game.

Rangers will make the short trip to Celtic Park on Sunday, but before that, they have the small matter of a Europa League second-leg encounter against Jose Mourinho’s Fenerbahce on Thursday night to deal with.

It’s going to be interesting to see what type of mood Barry Ferguson’s side arrive in because they have already had to watch Celtic dominate on the domestic stage this season.

Position	Team	Played MP	Won W	Drawn D	Lost L	For GF	Against GA	Diff GD	Points Pts
1	CelticCeltic	29	24	3	2	87	17	70	75
2	RangersRangers	29	18	5	6	59	26	33	59
3	HibernianHibernian	29	11	10	8	44	40	4	43
4	AberdeenAberdeen	29	12	6	11	38	46	-8	42

The fact that Ferguson is in interim charge of Rangers and in the opposite dugout to Brendan Rodgers is going to make this contest even spicier.

The last time the Gers had to play in midweek, and then face Celtic a few days later, was when the duo met for the League Cup final in December at Hampden.

Rangers played Ange Postecoglou’s Tottenham at Ibrox and then watched Daizen Maeda fire Celtic to League Cup glory following a penalty shootout.

So, will history repeat itself and will Rangers playing in midweek just make matters worse for them?

• READ MORE: Ibrox assistant boss makes Celtic ‘financial’ claim ahead of Glasgow Derby vs Rangers

Kris Boyd on the ‘excuse’ Rangers will use if Celtic win Glasgow derby

Kris Boyd will be working for Sky Sports for their coverage of the Glasgow derby and he is fully aware of the difficulties his former side is going to face.

The former striker stated that, given Rangers’ Thursday night game, then tiredness could be used as an ‘excuse’ if Celtic win on Sunday.

But he warned that Ferguson and his coaching staff ‘won’t accept it’, even though it’s a ‘tough ask’ for Rangers to get anything from the game, as he told Sky Sports News (12/03/25 at 10:30 am).

“For Rangers, they know the league is gone, they will look at Thursday night as an opportunity to get to the next round and you never know,” said Boyd.

“But Sunday will take care of itself. You don’t need to worry. Even players tired. You are going into a game of football. You only start to feel tired if you fall behind, and then you will start to use it as an excuse. If Rangers win the game on Thursday, then go to Celtic Park ready to perform on Sunday.

“I think it’s going to be a huge ask for Rangers to go to Celtic Park, the way Celtic have been, especially at home. I think, only Aberdeen, have scored there in the league. For Rangers, it’s going to be a tough ask.

“But Barry (Ferguson) won’t accept it. The coaching staff won’t accept it, that mindset of feeling tired. The fans won’t hear any excuses. They will want to get through in Europe on Thursday night, go to Celtic Park, try to get a positive result and see where that takes them, in terms of building something.

“There is no chance of winning the league, but just having that confidence of going to Celtic Park and picking up points. It might give the players belief come next season, but it’s a very tough ask for Rangers to beat Celtic.”

Unusual time for Celtic in the calendar

The Champions League format was revamped this summer, so it meant more games added to Celtic’s calendar.

Up until Celtic’s defeat in Munich on February 19, the champions were playing every three days, with little to no rest.

But all of that has now changed on its head and the games have eased up.