Five reasons Rangers can win the title as Champions League carrot and Tottenham loanee ignite glory charge
A look at what Danny Rohl’s side have to their advantage over Hearts and Celtic
With six games to go in the SPFL Premiership, Rangers are on the hunt for their 56th top flight title, in one of the most exciting races to the finish Scottish football has ever seen.
After a disastrous start under Russell Martin, the club were mid-table in October but have turned a corner since the head coach appointment of Danny Rohl, who has guided them to within two points of runaway leaders Hearts and a point clear of Celtic ahead of the split.
It’s been another season of up and downs for the Light Blues, who fell at the first hurdle in the Europa League and are out of both cup competitions. With the last piece of silverware for Rohl and co on the line, here’s five reasons Rangers can win the 2025/26 Scottish Premiership title.
Momentum
Rangers haven’t lost in the league since their trip to Tynecastle on December 21 when they were defeated 2-1 by Hearts. After that match, the side went on an eight match winning-run in all competitions and having won their last three on the bounce, they’re now showing signs they can emulate their early 2026 rich vein of form. Hearts have lost to Killie and drawn with Livingston in recent weeks as the league leaders’ away form continues to dwindle. Meanwhile, Celtic have lost four times since Rangers last tasted defeat in the league with their most recent stumble coming against Dundee United a fortnight ago.
Mikey Moore
When Rangers last won the league, it was a team effort from an invincible season in which there were five or six candidates for player of the year. However, this time around, the team have at times been carried by Tottenham loanee, Mikey Moore. The 18-year old winger took his time to hit the ground running north of the border, but as the season has wore he’s found his groove. With six goals and two assists, his numbers may not be ground-breaking, but his ability to carry the ball forward and beat defender has at time lit up Ibrox this season. If they’re to come up trumps come the end of May, on-loan Tottenham man Moore will have played an instrumental part.
Goal difference
Never underestimate the impact goal difference can have on a title race. With just three points separating first and third, the 2025/26 season could easily be decided on the finest of margins. While Rangers may have conceded a fair amount in recent weeks, their 23 goals in their last eight has helped bump their goal difference up to +32. With Hearts currently at +28 and Celtic at +23, if Rangers can keep their noses in front in terms of GD it could give them a huge psychological advantage going into the run-in.
Champions League incentive
The decline of Scottish sides in Europe has led to no automatic Champions League spots being offered for the Premiership winners, who now have to qualify via the play-off round. However, through a UEFA loophole entitled the ‘title-holder rebalancing’, Rangers would have a chance of automatic qualification due to their coefficient ranking. The same would not apply to Hearts or Celtic. The main obstacle standing in their way of this is Olympiakos, who have more coefficient points than the Light Blues and would take this spot if they win the Greek Super League. However, they currently sit five points behind leaders AEK Athens in the standings.
Recent head-to-head success
With the gap as close as it is, the individual matches between Rangers, Hearts and Celtic could decide who lifts the trophy at the end. While Rangers will need to face their fellow title hopefuls away from home, the team have shown they’re capable of a result against both. While Celtic have knocked the Light Blues out of both competitions, they still haven’t won a league Old Firm since September 2024. Meanwhile, Hearts have the better record against Rangers so far this season with their two wins, but in the most recent encounter at Ibrox, the hosts dominated proceedings and prevailed 4-2 winners.
The Scottish Football Social Club is presented by BetSBK.com | 18+ | Gamble Responsibly