Rangers travel to take on Celtic today – and John Hartson thinks they stand little chance of grabbing a win.
John Hartson in action against Rangers
Celtic legend John Hartson has told The Scottish Sun that he’s predicting a ‘comfortable victory’ for the Bhoys against Rangers this afternoon.
Just a month into the new season, Celtic and Rangers face off in another Old Firm derby, but this one is particularly special considering that it’s the first one in the league since 2012.
John Hartson
The two sides unsurprisingly head into the game as the top two sides in the Scottish Premiership, with Rangers second on eight points from four games after an unbeaten start, whilst Celtic lead the way with three wins from three games.
Rangers have some confidence heading into the game having beaten Celtic on penalties in the Scottish Cup back in April, but that result has done little to change the mind of former striker Hartson.
John Hartson
The Welshman is no stranger to Rangers having played for Celtic in a number of Old Firm clashes, and whilst you’d expect his allegiance to be with the Bhoys – just as it was before April’s clash – he’s certainly confident that his former club can pull out a win this time.
Speaking to The Scottish Sun, Hartson suggested that his prediction for April’s game was so wrong due to the presence of former manager Ronny Deila, and he can’t see any way new boss Brendan Rodgers can lose this one.
Hartson stated that he is again predicting a comfortable win for Celtic and won’t change his mind despite April’s result, whilst claiming that Rangers ‘aren’t in the same class as Celtic’, are ‘nowhere near’ the Bhoys in terms of quality, and are ‘a million miles behind’ their city rivals.
John Hartson
“Ronny Deila and his team made me look a fool,” said Hartson. “I predicted a stroll in the park for the Hoops against Rangers in last season’s Scottish Cup semi-final. But they didn’t turn up. You’d think I’d be reluctant to stick my neck out again and predict a comfortable Celtic victory a second time. But you’d be wrong.”
“The way I see it, Rangers aren’t in the same class as Celtic. Mark Warburton’s men were fantastic when they last met at Hampden, I’ll give them that. But when push comes to shove, I think Celtic’s poor performance that day was down to their manager. Deila wasn’t up to the job, like I said from day one, and that afternoon only proved it. But Celtic have a proper manager now and for the life of me I can’t see how Brendan Rodgers can lose.”
“Rangers are nowhere near Celtic in terms of quality. They’re a million miles behind, all said and done. I refuse to change my mind on which team is the best. It’s Celtic. All day long. They just need to go out and show it and make sure I’m not made to look a fool a second time,” he added.
What’s your prediction for Celtic v Rangers?
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