Ibrox hosts a top-of-the-table Scottish Premiership clash between Glasgow Rangers and Celtic on Sunday.
Celtic’s hero this season has not been Moussa Dembele, or Leigh Griffiths, or even Stuart Armstrong. Nope. James Forrest is the man who has come to the Hoops’ aid time and again.
Whether it’s a hat-trick in a nervy 3-2 win over Partick Thistle or the winner in a Champions League qualifier at Rosenborg, Forrest has been Johnny on the spot for Brendan Rodgers this season and the Scottish Premiership leaders might need the 27-year-old to don that mask and cape again at Rangers on Sunday.
Dembele scored twice in the win over Greenock Morton on Saturday, but the Frenchman has been hugely inconsistent this season and injuries to Griffiths and Armstrong mean that match-winners are in short supply ahead of what is a massive game at Ibrox.
Celtic, who have a game in hand, are only six points clear of Rangers in second and losing to Graeme Murty’s side might just allow them a sniff at snatching a seventh successive title from the Bhoys.
The Gers go into the clash with a six-match winning streak and 23 goals scored during that period, but Forrest has 16 goals this season and he may need to add to that haul on the blue half of Glasgow.
The Scottish winger hasn’t found the net in any of his last five matches across all competitions and, somewhat worryingly, hasn’t scored against either Rangers or Aberdeen this season.
If there is a reason to criticise the star, that is certainly a candidate, but he has a chance to rubber-stamp his status as a hero for Celtic with a goal or two against the Gers.
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