Celtic retain a six-point lead at the top of the Scottish Premiership table with two matches remaining following their victory over Rangers last weekend.
Kilmarnock and St Mirren are still to come as the Bhoys look to force the title over the line, which would come as a relief to Brendan Rodgers amid a prolonged fight with Rangers this term.
Glasgow Derby matches produce lengthy post-mortems, with pundits and fans keen to examine every minute detail in each result.
Unsurprisingly, the gap between Celtic and Rangers has become a central point of discussion. Yesterday morning, talkSPORT’s Simon Jordan and Graeme Souness exchanged verbals over where both sides sit in the Scottish football paradigm, with the former claiming the Bhoys are a ‘far better’ outfit than their rivals.
Souness disagreed with the statement vehemently; however, based on outcomes when the two have clashed this campaign, Rodgers has three wins and a draw to his name, whereas Rangers haven’t held the lead, never mind claimed three points from a single fixture between the pair.
Either way, Celtic will focus on themselves without being dragged into comparisons. Their only priority is the quest for a league and cup double.
Chris Sutton on Celtic’s ‘distinct advantage’ over Rangers
Former Celtic striker Chris Sutton is never one to shy away from offering his opinion on Scottish footballing matters, especially those involving his old club.
Speaking on Football Daily’s Monday Night Club, the 51-year-old explained to Mark Chapman, Rory Smith and Theo Walcott why he believes the Bhoys have a ‘distinct advantage’ over their rivals.
Sutton eluded to Celtic’s midfield trio of Matt O’Riley, Reo Hatate and Callum McGregor as a prominent selling point, among other factors that led the Bhoys to claim maximum points last weekend.
He said: “Celtic have the better team, that’s a fact. Philippe Clement has got Rangers back in it, but the Lundstram sending off, I don’t think anybody could really argue with, other than Kenny Miller. That was where Celtic were always going to have a distinct advantage
“Rangers did have a really big chance, Fabio Silva at the back post and he should’ve scored, but I always felt it was a long shot. You never know with these games, how they are going to go, but I think Celtic’s midfield trio, which I think they’ve only started something like seven games this season together. O’Riley, Hatate and McGregor.
“Had those three been fit for the majority of the season, there wouldn’t even have been a title race. They’re top-quality players, and I always felt that was going to have a large bearing on the game, so Celtic now essentially just need a point; they’ve got a tricky fixture at Kilmarnock on Wednesday, Rangers play tomorrow night against Dundee.”
Later on, he added: “Over the Celtic vs Rangers games this season, Celtic have been dominant and that actually has been the difference because Celtic have dropped points against sides that you wouldn’t necessarily expect.”
Celtic will only be concerned with meeting their own targets
Truthfully, Celtic will take a linear approach to success that isn’t dependent on their rivals; however, it is always intriguing to hear where prominent voices in football coverage rank the two sides.
Looking ahead, Rodgers is on the brink of claiming title glory and could also win the Scottish Cup if he can see off Rangers at Hampden on May 25th.
The Irishman has dealt with his fair share of challenges since returning to the club; nevertheless, he is determined to enjoy a happy ending to his first campaign back at Parkhead.
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