Kris Boyd makes Rangers assumption that piles pressure on Celtic as only 'major shock' can derail prediction
The Rangers legend has been looking ahead to a big weekend for his former side and Celtic.
Kris Boyd has made a Rangers assumption that he feels will pile on pressure for Celtic this Sunday.
The Hoops played midweek and lost in their Europa League knockout round play-off against Stuttgart, amid an error-strewn performance by goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel, in a 4-1 defeat. Now attention turns to the Premiership title race where boss Martin O’Neill and co are third with a game in hand, facing off against last term’s third force in Hibs at Parkhead.
Rangers in second travel to basement side Livingston and top of the table Hearts host Falkirk on Saturday. Ibrox legend Boyd assumes that Rangers will down Livi this weekend and he expects a response from Hearts after losing to the Light Blues last weekend. That puts focus on Celtic and he doesn’t expect a goalkeeping change for the current champions.
Will Celtic drop Kasper Schmeichel?
Boyd told the Scottish Sun: ”The clock is ticking on Kasper Schmeichel's long and decorated career. Now 39, the Celtic keeper's mistakes against Stuttgart proved he is past his best. But forget any talk of Martin O'Neill dropping him for tomorrow's Hibs clash. Schmeichel's form must be causing concern, but I would be amazed if the Celtic boss axed the Dane.
“Let's face it, O'Neill, Wilfried Nancy and Brendan Rodgers could all have given Viljami Sinisalo his chance by now. Barring the odd game here and there, the Finn has never looked like dislodging Schmeichel. There is a reason for that. All three Celtic managers clearly don't think Sinisalo is up to the task. Whether Schmeichel still is must be up for debate, but O'Neill will probably cross his fingers and stick with him.
“That game (second leg vs Stuttgart) gives O'Neill a real headache days before heading to Ibrox and he will probably put out a fringe team in Germany. Let's be honest, when you are so used to losing knockout European games, what difference does one more make? It's all about the Premiership for Celtic now, and on paper, Hibs should give them a tough test.
What pressure will Rangers put on Celtic this weekend?
“But then you remember that the Easter Road side haven't won at Parkhead for 16 YEARS. When we talk about embarrassing stats, that one is right up there. Hibs regard themselves as one of Scotland's big clubs, but their record against Celtic doesn't back that up. This is a huge game for O'Neill because you would expect Hearts and Rangers to win theirs.
“Derek McInnes will have his players fired up after losing at Ibrox, and they should be too strong for Falkirk. Danny Rohl has also made it clear that he expects Gers to step up again and they will surely beat Livingston. It took a Max Aarons injurytime winner to seal a win there in September under Russell Martin. Rohl has Gers in a different place now, and it would be a major shock if they slipped up.
“That puts the pressure on Celts to see off Hibs and O'Neill needs to get a tune out of more players. What has happened to Reo Hatate? His form has fallen off a cliff. And you can add Daizen Maeda to that list. The Japanese attacker is nowhere near the player he was last season. It wouldn't surprise me if both are benched against Hibs but I doubt Schmeichel will be sitting next to them.”