Chris Sutton’s surprising verdict on why Celtic’s final Glasgow Derby won’t decide league title

Celtic have six vital league matches remaining as they aim to win the Scottish Premiership title following a dramatic draw at Ibrox last weekend.

In a match that didn’t disappoint from a neutral perspective, Daizen Maeda, Matt O’Riley and Adam Idah played their part by getting on the scoresheet in a six-goal thriller.

However, we certainly aren’t neutrals here at 67 Hail Hail, and there will be a mixture of pleasure and frustration from Celtic supporters at our performance, given the Bhoys were in the lead on two occasions.

Nevertheless, pride has to be the overriding emotion amid the difficult circumstances our players had to find their way through without any away support in the ground, which has enabled them a potential winner-takes-all crack at Rangers on home soil in the post-split fixtures.

St Mirren travel to Glasgow’s east end this weekend before we find out our opponents on the other side of the league schedule, which will be Brendan Rodgers’ sole focus for now.

Stephen Robinson’s outfit have already earned their place in the top six of the Scottish top-flight table; meanwhile, the Buddies could still finish in a continental qualification slot come the end of next month.

Chris Sutton’s surprise verdict on Celtic’s title challenge

Former Celtic striker Chris Sutton won four Scottish Premiership titles north of the border and knows the pressure of competing in a tight season run-in from first-hand experience.

Writing in his column for The Daily Record, the 51-year-old has dropped a surprise verdict on his old side’s chances of repeating the trick for a third successive year, claiming that toppling Rangers at Parkhead post-split may not be the most difficult challenge that Rodgers’ men face.

He stated: “Celtic will be happy they have a crack at their rivals in front of 60,000 of their own supporters in the next few weeks. We know it will be billed as do or die that day, but I believe the title will still be decided elsewhere.

“Celtic’s problems this season have not come against Rangers. It’s been in the other Games. They’ve taken seven points out of nine against their rivals but dropped points to six other sides elsewhere.

“It’s the other Games that will be just as vital over the coming weeks. You have to think both teams will be stronger again by the time they meet again as well. You only had to watch Celtic in the first half at Ibrox to see how much of a difference Reo Hatate makes to the team.”

Chris Sutton has a point regarding his Celtic observations

Celtic have taken seven points from an available nine against Rangers this season; however, they have struggled to replicate consistency against other sides in the league, dropping points on nine separate occasions.

Heart of Midlothian, Kilmarnock, and Hibernian have all managed to take something against the Bhoys, and all three could be top-six sides we may have to overcome in the campaign’s final stretch.

Given the magnitude of the fixture, our final match against Rangers will take care of itself; regardless, every encounter is as important as the next amid Rodgers’ push for title glory.

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