'Win in Paisley could relaunch Rangers' title tilt'
After failing to win any of their last three league matches, we’re about to find out just how credible Rangers’ title aspirations are this term.
Two points from nine simply won’t do at this stage of the season and has surely squeezed any wriggle room for the Ibrox men down to zero. They are back to winning ways though and will hope that booking their place in the Scottish Cup final next month gives them a big shot in the arm for the title run-in.
To keep their Premiership hopes afloat they simply need to keep winning, starting at St Mirren on Sunday.
Some fans were confidently talking about a treble after nine consecutive league wins through January and February. Rangers haven’t won back-to-back games since. How quickly the winds can change.
Another failure to win will also dredge up some unwanted memories and comparisons. The Ibrox side haven’t gone four league matches without winning since February 2017, when defeat to Hearts and a home draw with Ross County brought the Mark Warburton era to a close, before his stand-in Graeme Murty then lost at Dundee and Inverness.
Leaking goals had been a bit of an issue, with three goals conceded against both Celtic and Ross County.
However, that's been fixed in the past couple of matches. Centre-back Leon Balogun was brought back into the side in Sunday’s semi-final; it’ll be interesting to see if he keeps Connor Goldson out of the team once again.
Rangers haven’t yet run aground in the push for the Premiership but those rocks are dangerously close.
A win in Paisley would go a long way to relaunching their title tilt. What Rangers certainly can’t afford to do is let rivals Celtic head to Dens Park later that afternoon with an extra spring in their step.
