Mark Warburton takes his Glasgow Rangers side to Parkhead knowing that a defeat would leave them four points adrift.
Rangers manager Mark Warburton
Alex McLeish has explained to the Evening Times that while he does not think that Rangers should be under any pressure to mount a title challenge this season, Mark Warburton’s men still have expectations to deal with and thus, cannot allow Celtic to create further daylight between the two clubs when they face each other this weekend.
The bitter rivals meet in the first Old Firm game of the season at Parkhead on Saturday in a clash that also pits the top two in the division currently against each other, with the Hoops one point clear at the summit.
Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers
And while the fact that the Gers are enjoying their first season back in the Scottish Premiership means that they should not be hung up about going after the title in McLeish’s eyes, he conceded that some supporters will not be so forgiving if they come away with a poor result.
“The way I see it, with my experience in the game, Rangers shouldn’t be under that pressure to win the league this season,” he told the Evening Times.
Former Gers boss Alex McLeish
“But of course the expectations are there and the fans will be disappointed if they don’t. The pressure is on Celtic to not lose the title.
“Rangers are going there and they can lay a marker down for the season. It is important that they don’t go too many points behind.”
While McLeish thinks the Light Blues should not put pressure on themselves just yet when it comes to challenging Celtic, there is no doubt that it will be a major blow to Warburton’s side if they lose.
Not only would the Bhoys snatch the bragging rights back after they lost the Scottish Cup semi-final last season, but they would also open up a four-point advantage at the top of the table and have a game in hand which may allow them to potentially extend that lead further.
And while McLeish is arguably right to suggest that it would be too soon to expect Rangers to dominate the top flight, any talk of long-term success is unlikely to provide any comfort if they cannot prevent Celtic extending the gap at the top this weekend.
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