Rangers have shown a solid set of results pre-season and followed up with last week’s 4-1 defeat of Falkirk. Kenny Miller’s brace was a real confidence boost to the Scottish internationalist after Boyd’s hogging of the striking headlines for so long at Ibrox. It’s got to make Smith happy to see his players moving the ball around as they are, creating chances as they are, and scoring as they are. I know the scoreline flatters the overall performancel, but you can only beat what’s in front of you
Last season Rangers lost 2-1 at Tynecastle, and in fact in their last 10 visits they have only won 5 : so not that brilliant when you consider some of the upheaveal that has struck the Edinburgh club over the last few years.
It’s a tough ground to excel on, and Rangers will have to adapt as usual, but for me this is a great time to be playing the Jambos as they will have played in Croatia, win/lose/draw, and have had to travel back on Friday, then train Saturday before Sunday’s early afternoon KO. Not the best preparations, then.
Hearts have to get a confidence boosting result in the Europa League to take into this clash, as I’m sure another loss without scoring would be tough to task for Laszlo to find any positives with which to motivate his player
August 20th, 2009 12:15:04 PM UTC | Posted in Scottish by ranma | No Comments
It’s not a surprise that the Scottish Premier League title will remain in Glasgow for yet another season, bu
The final round of the Scottish Premier League season takes place this weekend, and Rangers go into the weekend in position to win their first title since the 2004/05 season, as they hold a two-point lead over archrivals and three-time defending champions Celtic.
However, Rangers have a tough away match against Europe-chasing Dundee United, while Celtic are at home to Hearts, who have already clinched third place.
At the bottom of the table, last-placed Falkirk go into the weekend still with a chance to save themselves from relegation, but it’ll require an away win against Inverness Caledonian Thistle.
Below, I preview and predict this weekend’s key matches.
Inverness Caledonian Thistle v. Falkirk
Previous Meetings
8/30/08: Falkirk 1-2 ICT
11/12/08: ICT 1-1 Falkirk
3/21/09: Falkirk 4-0 ICT
ICT at home: 4 wins, 5 draws, 9 losses
Falkirk away: 2 W, 7 D, 9 L
Scenarios: With a win or a draw, ICT would be safe, and Falkirk would be relegated. If Falkirk win, they’ll be safe, and ICT are all but relegated, unless St. Mirren get whipped by Hamilton.
It’s pretty simple for ICT. Avoid defeat, and they’re safe. They’ve been a pretty good side at home since the start of the new year, so they have to like their chances. Falkirk have only two away wins in 18 away matches this season, but one of those two wins came in their last away match, at Hamilton, and in their previous away match, they earned a 1-1 draw against Kilmarnock. That has kept them in position for a great escape, but nothing less than a win will do.
Prediction: Unfortunately for Falkirk, that win won’t happen. ICT won’t get the win, but they don’t need the win. They only need a draw, and that’s what I see them getting. A small consolation for Falkirk is that they will get to play in the UEFA Europa League next season, thanks to having made the final of the Scottish Cup.
Dundee United v. Rangers
Previous Meetings
11/4/08: Rangers 3-3 Dundee United
12/15/08: Dundee United 2-2 Rangers
1/31/09: Rangers 2-0 Dundee United
Dundee United at home: 7 W, 8 D, 3 L
Rangers away: 10 W, 6 D, 2 L
If Rangers are going to break Celtic’s stranglehold on SPL supremacy, it’s going to have to be done the hard way. Dundee United haven’t given them anything easily in their previous three meetings this season. In the two draws, Rangers drew first blood, only to need late equalizers after Dundee United had taken leads, and in the win in January, Rangers’ two goals came in the final 15 minutes.
Rangers haven’t won at Dundee United since a 4-1 win in April 2006, and with Dundee United chasing a place in Europe, Rangers will be in for a serious fight, which may not end up going their way when all‘s said and done.
Prediction: It’s hard to see Rangers leaving Tannadice with a victory, and even getting a draw won’t be easy. Scottish Premier League odds have Rangers as a pretty solid favorite, but I see another draw, and there’s a good chance that there’ll be some late heroics on one side, but will Rangers be left wishing they’d slaughtered a few more opponents along the way?
Celtic v. Hearts
Previous Meetings
11/2/08: Hearts 0-2 Celtic
12/15/08: Celtic 1-1 Hearts
4/11/09: Hearts 1-1 Celtic
Celtic at home: 14 W, 3 D, 1 L
Hearts away: 5 W, 5 D, 8 L
Can Hearts hand Rangers the title? Hearts already have their league finish and place in Europe secure, but they won’t just lay down and let Celtic win and potentially take the title. The last two meetings haven’t gone Celtic’s way, and Hearts have done a good job overall of getting results against the two Old Firm sides, earning a win and three draws in seven league matches against Rangers and Celtic this season, so Hearts will be very confident about their chances of spoiling Celtic’s hopes of a fourth straight title.
Prediction: Can Hearts pull off a third straight positive result against Celtic? I think they can, and I think they will. Hearts get the draw at Celtic Park, and they also get many, many thank-you notes from Rangers fans, grateful for helping them secure the SPL title.
May 22nd, 2009 3:44:39 PM UTC | Posted in Free Picks, Scottish, Soccer, Sports, Sports Betting by Griffdog | No Comments
One of soccer’s biggest rivalries gets renewed this weekend, and there’s going to be a lot at stake, as Scottish Premier League rivals Celtic and Rangers face off at Celtic Park on Sunday afternoon in the latest rendition of the Old Firm derby.
Celtic and Rangers have mercilessly dominated the SPL for the longest time, and it’s another two-horse race between the Glaswegian rivals, with Celtic in first with 55 points from 24 matches and Rangers only two points behind.
This is the third time they’ll face off in the league this season, and we’re guaranteed of at least five showdowns between these archrivals this season, with another league matchup set to come, along with a meeting in the final of the CIS Insurance Cup (Scotland’s version of the League Cup) next month.
Celtic took the last meeting at Rangers’ Ibrox Stadium on December 27, with Scott McDonald’s solitary strike giving Celtic a 1-0 win. That victory gave Celtic a seven-point lead atop the Scottish Premier League table, but now, a win on Saturday would put Rangers back in pole position after it looked like they were all but fried after that match.
And a win is something well within the realm of possibility for Rangers, who scored a 4-2 win at Celtic Park in the teams’ first meeting in August.
A key for Celtic will be keeping Rangers striker Kris Boyd off of the score sheet. Boyd didn’t play in the first match, and he was shut down in the second encounter, but he comes in with 20 league goals in 22 appearances. All the same, Rangers’ back line must be up to the task of keeping McDonald from coming up big in the Old Firm derby yet again.
They aren’t the only names to watch though. Rangers striker John Fleck, who doesn’t turn 18 until August 24, has been a regular starter thus far in the new year, and wouldn’t he like to mark his Old Firm derby debut with a goal? With both sides having plenty of attacking presence, it might come down to whose back line is most up to the task of keeping the goalmouth tidy.
Draws are a rare occurrence between these two, so I’ve got to pick someone to win, right? Well, the away team’s won both matchups this season, but will Celtic stand for losing to Rangers at home twice in one season? I’d say no, but Rangers are in better form right now, and they’ll go into Celtic Park with a lot of confidence, and I think they’ll be taking their afternoon tea (or evening pint) as the new leaders atop the SPL.
Click Here for Scottish Premier League Odds
February 13th, 2009 7:00:34 AM UTC | Posted in Scottish by Griffdog | No Comments
