Röhl Backs Rangers in Celtic Game as Hearts Slip Four Clear
Hearts stayed four points clear after a 1-1 draw with Motherwell, and the celtic game at Parkhead kicked off with the title race still open. Celtic and Rangers met at 12pm BST with both clubs still trying to chase down Hearts after a weekend that kept the table tight.
Parkhead Starts With The Table In Focus
Luke McCowan started ahead of Sebastian Tounekti in Celtic’s front three, while Connor Barron made his first Rangers start since January. Rangers were also without Nicolas Raskin because of a muscle injury, a change that cut into their midfield options before a match they still had to win to keep pressure on Hearts.
Celtic entered the day four points behind Hearts with a game in hand, and they could still become champions if they won their last three games. They were also due to host Hearts on the final day, which kept that meeting live as a possible decider even after the draw with Motherwell changed the margin at the top.
Rangers Keep The Arithmetic Alive
Rangers had been eight points back after losing to Hearts at Tynecastle last Monday, so the gap has already narrowed from that low point. Their title chance still depends on winning their last three games and getting help elsewhere, but the fact that the math remains alive is the only reason this Old Firm match still carries meaning in the race.
Danny Röhl said he is going nowhere in the short term. He called himself “Fully, fully committed.” and added, “I feel the support every day.”
Röhl Points To Summer
He also said, “We spoke so much about what we want to change for the summer,” and then pushed the timeline beyond this match. “I feel that I’m in the right place with the right people with a lot of motivation, positive energy to bring this club not just to a one-hit wonder, back to a consistent club who can win titles in a row,” he said.
For Rangers, that leaves the short-term task simple and the long-term one bigger. “A one-hit wonder for us, it’s nice, but what we are looking for is that you consistently play for the title,” Röhl said, and the next stretch now has to do two jobs at once: keep the chase alive and show the direction of his rebuild.
