As Celtic barrel towards their 55th league title, Brendan Rodgers and his men find themselves in the luxurious position of being 13 points clear with just ten games to play. The Scottish Premiership title race, once a battleground, now feels more like a procession. The only real question left is not if but when the champagne will pop in Paradise.
Their 5-1 pasting of Aberdeen at Celtic Park was a statement after their narrow defeat at Easter Road the weekend prior.
There had been a flicker of hope among the Celtic faithful that the ultimate bragging rights might be clinched against their bitter rivals at Parkhead on March 16. But even in the most optimistic of scenarios, the maths won’t quite allow it. A title decider in the Glasgow Derby was always more of a pipe dream than a realistic target.
Instead, the earliest Celtic could cross the finish line is against Kilmarnock on April 12. If Rodgers’ men navigate past St Mirren, Rangers, Hearts, and St Johnstone with the same cold efficiency they displayed against Aberdeen on Tuesday, they could arrive at that Kilmarnock match with a 16-point lead. Should Rangers keep their house in order—and that is a sizeable ‘if’ under their current form—Celtic would need only a win at Celtic Park to make the title mathematically theirs.
The momentum is entirely with the Hoops. They are a green-and-white juggernaut, rolling over all in their path, including the now-former Ibrox Philippe Clement.
For Rangers, it is a grim watch. They are the bystanders at their own execution, powerless to prevent Celtic’s fourth successive coronation. Dropped points at home to Motherwell this weekend would only hasten the inevitable. Winning the league before the split would show how dominant Celtic have really been.
The finish line is in sight, and Celtic’s journey has been nothing short of relentless. Brendan Rodgers, the architect of this well-oiled machine, will know that nothing is won until it is won. But with five more wins needed to secure the league title and a Scottish Cup to fight for, the promise of a glittering May looms large. As is always the case, Celtic would lift the trophy on the final day of the season, presuming that would be at home, depending on SPFL fixtures after the split.
