The Rangers icon has been looking forward to a significant weekend for his former club and Celtic.
Kris Boyd has made a Rangers prediction that he believes will add pressure on Celtic this Sunday.
The Hoops played midweek and suffered a defeat in their Europa League knockout round play-off against Stuttgart, in a performance marred by errors from goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel, ending 4-1. Now attention shifts to the Premiership title race where boss Martin O’Neill and his team sit third with a game in hand, taking on last season’s third-placed side Hibs at Parkhead.
Rangers, in second, travel to struggling Livingston while leaders Hearts host Falkirk on Saturday. Ibrox legend Boyd expects Rangers to overcome Livi this weekend and predicts a reaction from Hearts after their loss to the Light Blues last weekend. That directs attention to Celtic, and he does not foresee a goalkeeping change for the reigning champions.
Will Celtic bench Kasper Schmeichel?
Boyd told the Scottish Sun: ”The clock is ticking on Kasper Schmeichel’s long and decorated career. Now 39, the Celtic keeper’s mistakes against Stuttgart proved he is past his best. But forget any talk of Martin O’Neill dropping him for tomorrow’s Hibs clash. Schmeichel’s form must be causing concern, but I would be amazed if the Celtic boss axed the Dane.
“Let’s face it, O’Neill, Wilfried Nancy and Brendan Rodgers could all have given Viljami Sinisalo his chance by now. Barring the odd game here and there, the Finn has never looked like dislodging Schmeichel. There is a reason for that. All three Celtic managers clearly don’t think Sinisalo is up to the task. Whether Schmeichel still is must be up for debate, but O’Neill will probably cross his fingers and stick with him.
That game (second leg vs Stuttgart) gives O’Neill a real dilemma days before heading to Ibrox and he will probably field a fringe lineup in Germany. Let’s be honest, when you are so accustomed to losing knockout European ties, what difference does one more make? It’s all about the Premiership for Celtic now, and on paper, Hibs should pose a stern challenge.
What pressure will Rangers exert on Celtic this weekend?
“But then you remember that the Easter Road side haven’t won at Parkhead for 16 YEARS. When we talk about embarrassing stats, that one is right up there. Hibs regard themselves as one of Scotland’s big clubs, but their record against Celtic doesn’t support that. This is a crucial game for O’Neill because you would expect Hearts and Rangers to secure their wins.
“Derek McInnes will have his squad motivated after losing at Ibrox, and they should be too strong for Falkirk. Danny Rohl has also stated that he expects Gers to raise their game again and they will almost certainly beat Livingston. It took a Max Aarons injury-time winner to clinch a win there in September under Russell Martin. Rohl has Gers in a different position now, and it would be a huge shock if they faltered.
That puts the spotlight on Celts to overcome Hibs, and O’Neill needs to extract a performance from more players. What has happened to Reo Hatate? His form has declined sharply. And you can add Daizen Maeda to that list. The Japanese forward is nowhere near the player he was last season. It wouldn’t surprise me if both are rested against Hibs but I doubt Schmeichel will be sitting alongside them.