Alistair Johnston Makes Bold Rangers Claim as Celtic Close in on Title

Alistair Johnston has made a bold Rangers claim with Celtic just one point away from securing the league title.

Dundee v Celtic William Hill Premiership Alistair Johnston of Celtic down during the William Hill Premiership match at Kilmac Stadium, Dundee UK Newspapers OUT Copyright: xJamiexJohnstonx FIL-21278-0094 / IMAGO / Focus Images

Celtic find themselves in a commanding position in the league and need just one more point to secure their fourth consecutive league title. It’s only a matter of time now.

The post-split fixtures have also been announced, with Celtic set to face Dundee United in their first matchup before heading to Ibrox for the Glasgow Derby.

The club will certainly look to secure the trophy before the Rangers matchup, especially if the last two derby results are anything to go by. Celtic lost both, at home and away.

However, if Celtic do win the league before the derby, the question arises, will Rangers give them a guard of honour at Ibrox?

Alistair Johnston has weighed in on the matter. As reported by The Scottish Sun, the Canadian said: “Would I expect it? I wouldn’t say I’d expect it.

“The situation is what it is. We’re not too bothered if someone gives us a guard of honour or not.

“We just want to be lifting a trophy on the final day of the league season — that’s our biggest focus.

“Whatever happens in between is up to the other teams. That’s another thing I’ve learned since I’ve been here, don’t fret about things that are out of your control.

“If you do, you’re going to lose a lot of sleep, and that can take you down some pretty deep and dark rabbit holes.

“For me, it’s just about controlling what we can control — and that’s something that’s very out of our control."

It’s good to see the Celtic players focus solely on the challenge up ahead and winning the league. Johnston has further spoken regarding the Dundee challenge up ahead. He said: “Hopefully we can take care of business up in Dundee first.

“Dundee United have had a great season and their place isn’t easy to go. They have made it a really strong place since they came up.

“We know it will be difficult, but you know when you’re that close to it then it’s a little extra motivation for the guys and something we’re all very excited for.

“Hopefully we can wrap the league up, then go to Ibrox and play really freely and enjoy that match.

“But we have massive matches before then.”

Before the Dundee United game, Celtic will have to deal with the challenge posed by St Johnstone in the semi-final of the Scottish Cup. They have lost against Simo Valakari's side recently and cannot afford a repeat of that at Hampden Park if they want to win a treble this season.

That game has to be their main point of focus right now, not the one against Dundee United or Rangers. The league title is bound to come but can wait a bit.

While it’s highly unlikely that Rangers will organise a guard of honour for the Celtic players, it will still be a privilege to walk into Ibrox as league champions. Even the Ibrox supporters will know exactly who hold the crown in Scotland.

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