Following the secure placement of the Scottish Premiership trophy in the trophy cabinet at Celtic Park, all focus now shifts to the upcoming weekend.
The countdown to the season-ending denouement will now initiate the buildup to the Scottish Cup final against Rangers.
Given Celtic’s current season advantage over Rangers, a monumental performance from the Ibrox club is necessary to secure their first victory of the year against the Scottish Champions.
At the very least, Chris Sutton asserts this.
‘Canter’ prediction: Rangers vs. Celtic
Three victories and a draw against the Ibrox club have virtually persuaded the former Celtic icon that next Saturday’s matchup will be won.
And while Celtic supporters would never be so complacent about a victory over our closest rivals, Sutton believes the Ibrox club is doomed to be defeated after witnessing them lose points once more to Hearts.
Sutton stated [BBC 606]: “Once more, Rangers lost points. Will Rangers in fact face Celtic in the Scottish Cup championship match the following weekend?
“Are they capable of pushing Celtic?” “It appears that Celtic will emerge victorious with ease.”
Neither Celtic’s performance in this matchup this season nor Brendan Rodgers’ record against Rangers in his tenure as head coach are debatable.
To date, the Celtic manager has encountered Rangers on seventeen occasions, emerging triumphant on thirteen occasions with a single loss. Transfermarkt [Transfermarkt]
Since Rodgers drew the remaining three, it appears that he has the number of the Ibrox club. Although I disagree with the notion that form is irrelevant in the Glasgow Derby, the inherent unpredictability of these games remains intact.
In the 3-3 draw at Ibrox, VAR had a direct impact on the outcome when Celtic held a 2-0 lead and Alistair Johnston was penalized for an action that was initially deemed a lunge by Fabio Silva.
Next Saturday is anything but certain to occur, particularly considering the involvement of VAR. We should all hope that the discourse pertains to another Celtic victory over Rangers and not the refereeing technology, so that Joe Hart may receive the fitting farewell he merits at the conclusion of May.
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