Andy Halliday drops ‘Advantage Celtic’ verdict amid Rangers v Dundee postponement
Andy Halliday believes Celtic now have the advantage heading into the Old Firm clash next month after Rangers saw their clash with Dundee postponed.
The Bears travelled to Dens Park on Sunday morning only to have the game called off 90 minutes before kick-off due to a waterlogged pitch, with the expectation that it will be rescheduled for the midweek before the trip to Parkhead.
And speaking on Clyde 1 Superscoreboard (18 March), Halliday admitted that while Rangers may have been thankful for the rest after leggy performances against Benfica they may now be at a disadvantage for the big title decider.
“I’d rather the game was played yesterday,” he said. “I’d rather, assuming Rangers win, I’d rather the points on the board but I can absolutely see the pros and cons that people are talking about.
“Because I was quite vocal about it. I thought over both legs against Benfica Rangers looked quite leggy. Specifically the last 20 minutes over there in Lisbon and then the home game at Ibrox.
“I just thought when Benfica scored, you’re expecting this onslaught in the last 15/20 minutes to push them and try to get into the tie. I just felt they looked a bit flat and they couldn’t get themselves going, so going into the game at Den’s Park you felt, almost like you did at Easter Road, this is an opportunity for Dundee to get points off Rangers.
“Obviously with their injury situation, Philippe Clement likes to rotate his squad but you don’t know if there’s only certain areas he can do that at the minute.
“A couple of weeks down the line with a rescheduled game you’d like to think he can get two or three bodies back, but if it falls three or four days before an Old Firm game I do think that’s a slight advantage to Celtic.”
Rangers task doesn’t change
Philippe Clement has introduced a mentality to this squad that has been missing since Steven Gerrard was in charge and last won the title.
No excuses are to be made. Everyone knows the job they must do and everyone knows the task at hand, so when this game gets played is a little bit irrelevant in all honesty.
The team were prepared to go to Den’s Park and compete for three points despite being tired, and they’ll certainly be far less tired now after the international break when they have to go back for a rearranged game in midweek.
But the task doesn’t change. Rangers must beat Dundee and then go to Celtic and win if they want to be champions. It’s that simple.
While it’s frustrating to now be sitting in second place in the table after fighting their way back to top, their aim is the same and the title is still in their hands. Rangers must look at this as a positive or risk it derailing their season.
In other Rangers news, one pundit clashed with a fan after it was said Ibrox duo “are not up to it” anymore.
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