No one is talking about the bizarre Celtic fixture quirk that offers Rangers title hope

After an eventful night in the Scottish Premiership, it is actually as you were at the top. In the headline game of the night, Rangers required an 89th minute header by Olwethu Makhanya to pinch a point at Tynecastle, holding Hearts to a 2-2 draw in the capital.

40 miles west, there was also a 2-2 draw at Celtic Park, one that was more surprising, as Dundee United departed Glasgow with a share of the spoils. Despite the fact Camilo Durán fired the Hoops in front early, it was the Tangerines who led at the interval, only for Liam Scales to ensure the points were shared.

Now that everyone has played everyone else in the Premiership once, Celtic remain top, four points clear of fierce rivals Rangers and eight ahead of Heart of Midlothian. Thus, despite all the doom and gloom, Martin O'Neill's team are well-placed to become champions again, but is there more than first meets the eye?

As noted by Scotland’s Coefficient, Celtic have become the first side in the split era, 11 matches into a campaign, to have played all other members of the top six at home. Conversely, Rangers have faced the same five opponents all away from Ibrox thus far; that has never happened before either.

This is obviously a bizarre quirk. Before the season started, few would've predicted that Dundee and Falkirk would be in the top six at this stage, with both Aberdeen and Hibernian struggling towards the bottom. Nevertheless, this does suggest that the fixtures are going to get tougher for the Celts.

O'Neill's team have won all five Premiership away games to date, albeit these have been against the sides sat seventh, eighth, tenth, 11th and 12th. These fixtures thereby are set to increase in difficulty starting on Sunday.

Next up, while their title rivals are at Hampden for the League Cup semi-finals, Celtic travel to Falkirk Stadium to face John McGlynn's team, who will be full of confidence, having won three in a row. After that, the Hoops' next four Premiership away games take them to Tynecastle, Dens Park, Pittodrie and then Ibrox on 3 January.

During the same period, Rangers' away league games are at St Mirren Park, Fir Park, Easter Road, McDiarmid Park and Rugby Park, which is unquestionably easier. So, even though Celtic can go seven points clear at the top with victory over the Bairns on Sunday, it is very plausible that their gap will have been cut, or perhaps even vanished, by the time of the next Glasgow derby in the new year.

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