Celtic are on the brink of securing a fourth consecutive Scottish Premiership title – and the timing of it could lead to the rarest of sights: a guard of honour at Ibrox.
If the Hoops take a point or more away to Dundee United at Tannadice in their first post-split fixture, they will officially be crowned champions.
Should they slip up, Rangers would still need to beat St Mirren the following day to prolong the title ‘race’. Either way, Celtic could travel to Govan the following weekend with the league already sewn up.
That’s where the debate begins. Will Rangers acknowledge their rivals’ success with a guard of honour?
Pundit Hugh Keevins waded into the discussion, calling the gesture an empty one in this fixture. [Clyde 1 SSB]
“I’m perfectly certain that Brendan Rodgers believes that Celtic are good enough to win the league at Tannadice. If they win at Tannadice, then it gives Rangers the perfect opportunity to provide Celtic with a guard of honour. It’s my favourite predictable question.
“It won’t happen. It shouldn’t happen anyway. When clubs do the guard of honour thing, they don’t mean it.
“They’re told to do it.”
Celtic fans won’t care much either way. Fifteen points clear with a +42 goal difference and five games to play, the title is effectively theirs. Whether they walk out to applause or animosity at Ibrox, Brendan Rodgers’ side will do so as Scotland’s champions once again.
The Ibrox matchday staff will give the travelling players their own classy gesture. As Celtic, who should already be Champions, emerge from the tunnel, Simply The Best will be blaring around Ibrox as the most successful team in Scotland look for to get back to winning ways in the derby.
