Rangers legend Kris Boyd has delivered a bold forecast ahead of Sunday’s huge Old Firm showdown with Celtic.
The lead-up to the derby at Celtic Park has centred around one key debate who needs it most? The answer, in the eyes of one of Scottish football’s most forthright pundits, is simple: both sides do.
Hearts welcome Aberdeen to Tynecastle on Saturday, holding a four-point advantage at the summit of the Scottish Premiership with the split fast approaching.
Almost everyone across the game anticipates Derek McInnes’s team collecting maximum points. Should they do so, they’ll move into the next week knowing the teams behind them must keep winning just to remain within reach.
That leaves Rangers and Celtic facing immense pressure on Sunday.
It’s the sort of tension that shapes championship battles. The type that distinguishes the sides who merely desire success from those who truly possess the bottle to seize it.Gers manager Danny Rohl acknowledged in the run-up to the contest that he was ‘surprised’ Celtic didn’t push harder against Stuttgart in the return leg of their Europa League play-off after taking a 1-0 lead. With the Hoops now eliminated from Europe, their ambitions of salvaging the campaign hinge on overhauling Hearts and overcoming their fierce rivals in the title race.
Rohl’s Rangers sit second in the standings, four points behind Hearts and only one point clear of Celtic.
Victory at Celtic Park would narrow the deficit at the top. A loss, however, could virtually derail their campaign before March is even fully underway.Kris Boyd makes Rangers v Celtic prediction in stark Old Firm warning:
Boyd has underlined the magnitude of this encounter in the clearest possible language and he isn’t holding back.
“Whoever loses it, for me, is out of it, especially Celtic,” Boyd told Sky Sports.
The ex-Rangers forward feels defeat would hit the Hoops harder than their city counterparts. Although Celtic have a game in hand, Boyd doubts that provides real reassurance considering the gap they could be staring at.
“I can’t see any way back for Celtic if Rangers are to get the victory,” he added“Yes, they’ll have that game in hand on a Wednesday night, but looking at it right now, Celtic or Rangers have to win the game to keep in contact with, or stay close to Hearts, because I do think they’ll get the three points against Aberdeen on Saturday.”
Boyd has no doubts about Rohl’s ability to prepare his squad for the occasion.
The backing from the Rangers faithful this season has been striking, and the former striker expects Sunday’s atmosphere to match that intensity.
“There’s going to be huge pressure on it. Rangers are at home. I don’t think Danny Rohl has any problem in getting his team up for an Old Firm game anyway, but at home, I don’t think there’ll be any problem,” he said.“The fans will be right behind the team, like we saw against Hearts. It’s probably as vocal as we’ve heard a Rangers fanbase for a number of years at Ibrox.
“It’s over to the players to go and put on a performance that leads Rangers to getting three points, but I’ll say it again, whoever loses it is out of it.”
Boyd understands that, in the end, it all boils down to events on the pitch. Nothing more, nothing less.
Sunday may not officially be a final, but it carries that same weight. Title races in Scotland are often shaped by defining afternoons like this — and Hearts will be observing closely from afar.