Michael Stewart just can’t contain himself as he laughs at Rangers and Celtic predicament
Michael Stewart is clearly taking delight in former side Hearts currently topping Rangers and Hearts in the Scottish Premiership.
The 450th Old Firm on Sunday is highly anticipated, as whoever is on the wrong end of the result could have their title hopes go up in smoke.
With Hearts showing no signs of slowing down, both Danny Rohl and Martin O’Neill can’t afford to leave Govan without three points.
Hearts’ 1-0 win over Falkirk on Saturday means they are now seven points clear of second-placed Rangers, and Stewart couldn’t help but admire his former team’s current position in the title race.
Michael Stewart clearly confident about Hearts ahead of Rangers vs Celtic
Claudio Braga scored his 12th goal of the season to ensure Derek McInnes’ side got the job done ahead of the Old Firm derby.
And when told of Hearts’ now seven-point lead at the summit, Stewart could be heard laughing in the background on BBC Scotland’s Sportscene coverage.
Each teams’ form in their last five league games:
- Hearts: W W L W L
- Rangers: D W D W D
- Celtic: L W W W D
The Jambos have just nine games left to play in the league this season, and they are in a fantastic position to secure their first league title since 1959-60.
Celtic haven’t won on their last four visits to Ibrox, which shows the importance of the crowd’s role on Sunday.
Rangers being badly let down in one particular area
While it seems obvious that they need to win all of their remaining games, that is only the case for two main reasons.
The first is that they won just once during their first seven matches under Russell Martin, and if Rohl had been in charge for the whole of the campaign, rangers would be top of the league.
Secondly, the Light Blues have drawn their last three away matches, and their total of 11 draws this season could cost them the title.
Despite suffering only two losses, with both coming against Hearts, their inability to kill games off has left them some way off the top.
A win against Celtic would see them reduce the gap to four points, but given the fact they have to visit both the Hoops and Hearts before the end of the season, they have to remain faultless.
And even if Rangers win all three of these matches against their title rivals, Hearts’ impressive form means they will be punished if they come up short in any of their other matches.
The title race has been phenomenal all season, and the Old Firm derby on 1 March will be the latest of many twists to come.
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