Provan makes ‘massive’ claim about upcoming Rangers clash v Kilmarnock
Former Celtic winger David Provan has claimed that Sunday’s game against Kilmarnock is as important to Rangers as the recent Old Firm result.
The Gers travel to Kilmarnock on Sunday looking to extend their unbeaten run in the league and pull further away from Celtic.
Speaking in The Scottish Sun, ex-Hoop Provan also claimed that Steven Gerrard’s side now need to prove they have the ‘bottle’ to win the league after falling away last season following a mid-season loss to Hearts.
Speaking about last season’s game against Hearts, he said, “It was the day Gerrard discovered his team had a glass jaw. Turns out their 2-1 defeat to the Jambos was more than a blip. It was a loss that sent Gers into a tailspin. By the time February was out, Rangers’ season was over.
“The worry for Gerrard is that most of the players who blew it last winter are still in his dressing room. Eight of the team who played in that Tynecastle league defeat are still regulars for him. Can he trust them not to implode this time around?
“They’ve shown they’re a match for Celtic over 90 minutes, they’ve still to prove they have the bottle to go the distance. That’s why Sunday’ trip to Rugby Park is massive.”
Rangers have shown few signs of weakness this season. They struggled for large periods against Lech Poznan on Thursday but they had no such issues when they last played in the league, against Livingston.
Jermain Defoe scored his first league goal of the season and his 300th goal in club football as the Gers beat the Lions 2-0. Joe Aribo scored the other as Gerrard continues to prove that there are many goalscorers in his squad.
Of course, it is possible that Rangers could lose a few games and let Celtic back into the title race but following the Gers’ start to the season, this looks unlikely. We aren’t saying that the Light Blues will go unbeaten this season but Rangers could open up a nine-point gap over their rivals this weekend.
Even if the Gers lose a few games it looks unlikely that Celtic will have the strength to catch them as they continue to look poor both in the league and in Europe.
In other Rangers news, Barry Ferguson has explained why Alfredo Morelos hasn’t matched McCoist in Europe yet.