- Rangers can return to a point behind leaders Hearts with victory
- Gers drop to third place after Celtic’s win yesterday
- Rohl’s men can also end 12-year league drought
Rangers know what is required of them this afternoon as they travel to the Falkirk Stadium for the lunchtime kick-off after results elsewhere.
Yesterday’s Scottish Premiership results saw three points for both of their title rivals in the final game before the split.
Leaders Hearts came back from behind to record a 3-1 victory over Motherwell while derby rivals Celtic narrowly defeated St Mirren by one goal to nil.
Therefore, this heaps the pressure firmly on Rangers’ shoulders to follow suit with their title challengers.
Victory will restore single point deficit to Hearts
Hearts win over the Steelmen means they are three points clear in first place and are currently four points in front of Rangers.
However, the league leaders’ victory does not paint the whole story.
Derek McInnes’ men were losing 1-0 at home with 30 minutes remaining and had to pull off a three-goal comeback to snatch victory from Motherwell.
This means that Rangers must win if they are to restore the distance to the summit back to one point.
However, the less than convincing performance from Hearts should provide a warning that they need to set out the traps early to execute totally dominance over the Bairns, which will not be easy.
Celtic win gives them the advantage as derby looms
A narrow victory for Celtic against the relegation-threatened Buddies means they have climbed above the Gers into second place by a point.
This highlights how imperative the three points as defeat or even a draw against Falkirk will give the Parkhead club momentum that Rangers’ cannot afford to give them.
A win for Danny Rohl’s men would not only restore the gap between Hearts but the upper hand over Martin O’Neill’s charges.
Two points above their Old Firm rivals in second place and with a superior goal difference will also leave Rangers in the better position with the derby match on the horizon.
Anything other than a win would be catastrophic
If Rangers were to draw or lose to the Bairns, it would not only make the title race harder to win but damage their credentials heading into the split.
The scenario of being four or three points behind the league leaders or either a point below or locked on points with Celtic would be tough to stomach.
As well as leaving the Gers’ firmly on the back foot, it would also mean Rangers’ would need to win all five post-split matches which includes two away games to Parkhead and Tynecastle.
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There is little, if any margin for error as Rangers travel to Falkirk today as anything other than three points will see the mood at Ibrox darken at a crucial stage in the title race.
Falkirk have proven how difficult an opponent they have been to the Gers this season which only adds extra weight on their shoulders and they cannot buckle under it.
The task for Rangers, is simple, keep doing what you have been doing and deliver because if you don’t, the scales in the title race will tip in a direction that may well be unrecoverable.
