Chris Sutton feels the Scottish Cup semi-finals will have an impact on Rangers and Celtic’s SPFL title chase.
Both clubs will fight at Hampden Park this weekend for a spot in the Scottish Cup final next month, as the title race heats up with only five games remaining and three points separating the sides.
Celtic triumphed 6-5 on penalties against Aberdeen after a 3-3 draw after extra time in which they led twice, while Rangers face Hearts on Sunday (April 21).
And, in his column for the Daily Record (20 April) before the games, the Sky Sports pundit admitted that he feels “sympathy” for Philippe Clement after the team’s recent setbacks because he was over-performing with this squad, but believes that a change in fortunes in the cup could turn the title race around.
“I can’t help but feel this weekend is going to be huge in terms of the title race as well,” he wrote.
“In some ways Hampden is a distraction for Celtic and Rangers. For Brendan Rodgers and Celtic, they will be itching to get back to league duty to pile more pressure on Rangers. For Philippe Clement and his side, they badly need to get back on track after suffering some serious setbacks of late.
“There will be pressure on both of them but you’ve got to feel it’s been cranked up another level on Rangers. If they don’t get past Hearts on Sunday there could be a huge knock-on effect to their league campaign, already badly faltering.
“Those traits are in short supply at Ibrox right now. Clement is showing signs Glasgow is starting to get to him. I have a degree of sympathy for Clement. He probably over-performed with the squad at his disposal, but we are now seeing them revert to type.”
Rangers momentum is key in the title race
This season’s SPFL title race has been absolutely crazy, with Rangers coming from behind only to lose the lead in recent weeks.
However, Sutton is correct that a change in fortunes in the cup might have a significant impact in the future, given the massive momentum and the next meeting between the two Old Firm rivals.
If Rangers can beat Hearts in a difficult encounter at Hampden, confidence may return, especially after Celtic’s penalty shootout win over Aberdeen.
He’s also accurate that Clement has hugely overachieved with the current collection of players, since most Ibrox fans will concede that many of the players aren’t up to par for what the squad should be aiming for.
Ultimately, the title race is not over, regardless of how gloomy or optimistic fans are, but the players must now stop the narrative of reverting to type and resume moving forward after this wobble.
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