Charlie Nicholas admits Rangers and Michael Beale are out of title race before cup final v Celtic
Charlie Nicholas believes Michael Beale has no realistic chance of winning the Scottish Premiership title and will become the “lucky man” if his Rangers side manages to claim victory against Celtic in the ViaPlay Cup final at Hampden Park.
The two fierce rivals are set to lock horns once more on Sunday (26 February), with Beale looking to clinch his first piece of silverware since taking over from Giovanni van Bronckhorst in the Ibrox dugout.
The Gers remain nine points behind Celtic in the Scottish Premiership despite an unbeaten record under the English manager, and former Hoops player Nicholas admitted in his column for the Scottish Daily Express (20 February) that Beale’s side have no realistic prospect of winning the title.
He wrote: “Michael Beale will become the ‘lucky man’ in Glasgow if his Rangers team manages to beat Celtic and lift the League Cup.
“Sitting in the Celtic camp, I do expect Celtic to win the cup final this weekend. I think Beale has made Rangers better but there is still a gap. Celtic’s squad is much stronger than Rangers. That is an absolute fact.
“Beale is trying to play catch-up. He is not going to win the title. He will know that but will never admit it until it is done. It would still be an amazing capture for Beale to lift the trophy after just coming through the door. Beale is quite an inventive coach and I am sure he will come up with a little tweak here or there.”
Massive
The magnitude of this match to both managers cannot be understated. The phycological impact that a defeat could have for either side in not just on their short-term success, but more so the SPL title race next year could be telling.
If the Gers were to claim victory under Beale, it would prove to the rest of the field that although the Hoops are an almighty side, they are by no means invincible. Rangers possess the tools to make this happen, with the likes of Malik Tillman and Ryan Kent holding a key role in prising open a fierce Celtic defence at the weekend.
A big decision for Beale to make will be who he chooses to start in net, after chopping and changing his No.1 for large parts of his reign to date.
The experience of Allan McGregor is likely to come out on top in this selection dilemma, and he will need to hold strong under the barrage of pressure Ange Postecoglou’s side are likely to throw Rangers’ way.
In other Rangers news, one star is likely to miss the cup final with Beale unlikely to risk him due to injury.