adminKris Boyd warns Rangers and Celtic that title hopes will be over for Ibrox loser as he points to biggest ‘worry’
The latest Old Firm showdown could prove decisive in this season’s title race, with insisting defeat at Ibrox on Sunday would effectively end either side’s championship dream.
and both head into the clash under mounting pressure, having fallen behind in the standings. With guiding Hearts into a commanding position, the Edinburgh side could extend their advantage even further if they overcome this weekend.
Recent results have only intensified the tension. Rangers were held to a 2-2 draw by , while saw his Celtic side slump to a home defeat against . Those setbacks have left both Glasgow giants with little room for further error as the campaign edges towards the split.
Boyd believes the equation is simple: lose at Ibrox, and the title challenge collapses.
He argues that Rangers, in particular, needed to build a points cushion before the split to cope with a demanding run-in. Hearts, by contrast, have given themselves breathing space and can afford an occasional stumble.
The same cannot be said for the chasing Old Firm duo — especially with them taking points off one another this weekend.
In Boyd’s view, the loser in Govan will be too far adrift to recover, particularly given Celtic’s recent inconsistency.
He has questioned their reliance on late goals and suggested performances have dipped well below the standard required to mount a serious charge.
Rangers, meanwhile, have struggled to translate home dominance into consistent away form. Danny Rohl’s side were forced to claw back from two goals down at Livingston, marking a third successive away fixture without victory.
Boyd warned that such dropped points on the road could prove fatal in a tight title race, stressing that clubs of Rangers’ stature are expected to dispatch teams in the bottom half.
He pointed to the stark contrast between Rangers’ intensity in high-stakes matches — such as their display against Hearts — and their flat performances in recent away outings. According to Boyd, that inconsistency must be addressed immediately if they are to remain contenders.
At the top, McInnes continues to defy critics. Boyd believes the Hearts boss deserves immense credit for maintaining his side’s position despite external scrutiny.
With Hearts having led the table for months, the possibility of a non-Glasgow champion is no longer far-fetched — something that would mark a historic shift in Scottish football’s balance of power.
While Boyd stops short of declaring the title Hearts’ to lose, he acknowledges they hold the strongest hand. For Rangers and Celtic, however, Sunday’s Old Firm encounter now carries a stark reality: defeat could signal the end of the road in this season’s championship race.
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