Neil Lennon delivers verdict on title race ahead of Rangers clash v Celtic
Celtic boss Neil Lennon has said that the result of this weekend’s Old Firm game won’t decide if the title is won by his side or Rangers.
The two Glasgow sides are separated by just a point in the Scottish Premiership, though the Bhoys have a game in hand and Saturday’s match could give either side a decent advantage in the title race.
But, speaking to Sky Sports, the Celtic manager urged caution on any talk of potentially winning the title should his side overcome Rangers on Saturday.
He said: “It’s way too early, we had this conversation after winning at Ibrox last year and after we lost at Celtic Park in December. It didn’t pan out the way people predicted.
“We’re on a good run and have got to maintain that consistency. I want to get all my players back fit because we’ve got a real heavy block of games coming up”.
Of course, there is still a long way to go in the title race, but there is no denying a win on Saturday would give either Rangers or Celtic an early advantage.
Rangers travel to Celtic Park with the knowledge that a win would mean that Celtic can’t catch up to the Gers even if they win their game in hand. Similarly, Celtic know that a win for them would see them overtake Rangers and still have a valuable game in hand over their rivals.
The pressure throughout the season will all be on Steven Gerrard’s side as they look to stop the Hoops from winning their tenth successive Scottish title. But, this year could be the year that Rangers reassert themselves as the top side in Scotland, by winning the title and having another successful run in the Europa League.
The Light Blues kick off their Europa League group stage campaign with a trip to Standard Liege next week and could travel to Belgium with some confidence if they can register a derby win at an empty Celtic Park on Saturday afternoon.
In other Rangers news, the Gers could play in front of fans when they play away in the Europa League.