Rangers fans would have been hoping for Celtic to drop points against Livingston at the weekend. After a long time, Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s side had gotten a decent 4-1 win, against Aberdeen, cutting the lead to one point, albeit having played a game more. Thus, they pinned their hopes on David Martindale’s side, who to their credit, had gotten themselves a draw at Ibrox the previous weekend.
Celtic have had their issues at the Almondvale Stadium in the past, but they did not slip up on this occasion. It was a relatively comfortable win for the Bhoys, as they defeated Livingston 3-0, with the goals coming from Kyogo, Greg Taylor and a returning Jota, who came off the bench to score late on.
That meant that the lead at the top was restored to four points. On the other hand, the Rangers seem to have some more bad news, as big money summer signing, Ridvan Yilmaz, has joined the injury list as well, after having picked up a problem in the game vs Aberdeen.
As reported by The Scotsman, Van Bronckhorst said:
"“Yilmaz will not be ready. He will be out for several weeks. He has a hamstring injury. It will definitely be after the World Cup. I don’t know how long exactly but he will not be involved in the remaining games until the break.”"
Rangers confirm another injury blow as they struggle to catch up with Celtic in title race
It is safe to say that the Rangers have their fair share of injury problems at the moment, just like Celtic.
The difference is that Celtic have seemed to deal with their issues much better, even though some questions have been raised about their form as well.
Ultimately, they have maintained a four-point gap at the top of the table, which to be fair stood at five points not too long ago. But still, it is a decent gap this early on in the campaign and the way things are going, the Hoops will be hoping to increase it as the season progresses. There have not been many occasions when the Rangers have shined.