Celtic favourites to beat Rangers in Old Firm for ‘bonkers’ reason – BBC pundit
Ryan Stevenson believes Celtic are favourite to win the Old Firm derby because Rangers don’t have a reliable goalscorer who can create something out of nothing.
Rangers go into the clash at Parkhead needing a win to close the three-point gap between themselves and league leaders Celtic as the season draws to its end.
However, Stevenson – who works as a pundit for BBC Sport – is not confident of the Gers’ chances due to their lack of potency up front.
He wrote for the Daily Record (11 May): “Rangers don’t have that right now. They don’t have someone in the final third who will produce the goods to change a game even if they don’t seem to be on their game. Todd Cantwell does okay but he’s a creator not a scorer.
“The only one that can provide something out of nothing is James Tavernier and that’s absolutely bonkers given that he’s a right-back. I have to admit I find it hard watching Rangers at the moment. You never know what you’re going to get. They can be good but they can also be stinking.”
Can Rangers outgun Celtic in the Old Firm derby at Parkhead?
Celtic are the leading scorers in the Scottish Premiership this season, with 85 goals in 35 games – with Rangers second in that regard, netting 78 times themselves.
However, right-back and captain James Tavernier continues to defy the conventions of his position as a defender and ranks second in the division’s goalscoring charts this term with 17 league goals – behind only Lawrence Shankland of Hearts.
In fact, the Gers boast more entrants in the top 10 of the Scottish Premiership’s goalscoring charts, with Cyriel Dessers (14 goals) and Abdallah Sima (11 goals) joining Tavernier, while Celtic are represented by Matt O’Riley (14 goals) and Kyogo Furuhashi (13 goals).
However, Celtic have three more players who make it into the top 25 scorers in the division – Adam Idah (seven goals), David Turnbull (seven goals) and Luis Palma (six goals) – suggesting the Bhoys perhaps boast a greater threat across their squad.
If Rangers are to win the Old Firm derby at Parkhead, they will need one of their players to shoulder the goalscoring burden on the biggest stage.
In other Rangers news, the Light Blues want to snap up a player who is due to be a free agent within weeks after he snubbed a last-gasp effort to keep him where he is.
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