Scottish Football / John Girvan / 05 December 2008 /

Rangers were humbled at Hearts last time out and as John Girvan explains, another defeat this weekend would make it very difficult for them to claw back their city neighbours..

Ahead of last weekend I said Rangers faced a big test of their championship credentials. They failed on this occasion and were defeated for the second time this season and Hearts recorded their fifth consecutive SPL victory. There is no ideal time to lose a game but last weekend certainly wasn't such an occasion and The Gers' have only gone and handed their Old Firm rivals a timely boost.

The manner of Celtic's European exit could have affected them domestically but they are now firmly in the driving seat, seven points clear at the top of the table, and trading at [1.41] to make it "4 in a row". It's only the first week in December however and traders will been keen on a repeat of last season where Rangers, currently [3.5] in this seasons title race, traded as low as [1.1] before losing twice at Celtic Park and then their grip on top spot.

Traders will be keeping a close eye on the Clydesdale Bank Premier "Winner 2008/09" Market over the coming weeks. The top two meet at Ibrox in three weeks time but before this Celtic travel to both Hibs and Falkirk either side of a Parkhead visit from in-form Hearts. Rangers meanwhile line-up at Ibrox against both Hamilton and Hibs before and after a trip to Tannadice. Both sides could come un-stuck at any point, particularly on the road and for this reason many will consider Celtic a lay in this market at present.

With the big one dawning on the 27th of December it's another crucial week in the SPL. Nothing other than a win will do for Rangers at Ibrox on Saturday when they go head-to-head with Hamilton Accies. This can put some pressure on Celtic who travel to Edinburgh the following day to take on Hibernian.

The 1st of November saw Hamilton lose 2-0 at Lanarkshire rivals Motherwell and the defeat was the clubs sixth in succession but the rest of the month saw a vast improvement. A draw at home to Falkirk the following week maybe wasn't much to write home about but they then proved difficult to beat for both 3rd place Hearts and table toppers Celtic. They kicked on from this and recently followed up a Tannadice point with a much needed home win over Killie so the improvement is there for all too see.

The basis for Hamilton's recent upturn has been a sound defence with Accies only losing four goals in their last five matches. They will be looking to continue this on Saturday and like last week I would be worried about Rangers if manager Walter Smith were to choose a similar line-up to the previous week. Thankfully however the likely return of recent absent trio Papac, Miller and Davis will give me a better sleep on Friday night.

The latter two have been missed badly of late but the fresh injection of Miller's pace, sided with Davis' midfield industry, should prove too much for the visitors. The Ibrox crowd could be in for a few goals here as I sense a return to the first half performance against St Mirren two weeks ago but with the goals to put the game out of sight.

Given the circumstances Hamilton look unbackable in the match odds, even at [21.0]. Rangers at a skinny [1.2] is the obvious choice but it's the football team's Christmas night out on Saturday and I'll be looking to boost the coffers with something more profitable.
Rangers -1.5&-2.0 in the Asian Handicap Market appeals at [1.83] as I find it hard to see Hamilton scoring. On that theory covering 2-0 and 3-0 at [7.2] and [8] might be worth a go and after being held until the second half in the last home match I expect Rangers to start early and expect Ranger/Rangers in the Half-Time/Full-Time Market at [1.64] to bear fruit.

There is an intriguing match up live on Setanta Sports this Sunday as table toppers Celtic take on Hibernian at Easter Road. The current Champions go in search of consecutive league win number 13 but who will be unlucky?

Celtic won 2-0 here back in March as they embarked on a winning streak that eventually landed them the title but it was their first victory at this ground for almost two years. The visitors three year record in Leith reads W3 D1 L2 and this side of Easter Road is always viewed as a difficult place for the Old Firm to go and win.

We know about Celtic, they just keep on winning but what about Hibs? Well they are a real Jekyll and Hyde outfit this season and skimming through their results this term exposes real inconsistency. This ranges from impressive wins at home to Dundee Utd and away at both Aberdeen and Motherwell to the recent home defeat to Inverness. Rangers won 3-0 here in September but the Edinburgh side created their fair share of chances that day and if luck had been on their side it would definitely have been a lot closer.

Gordon Strachan's men are on the kind of run that has people asking how long can it go on for? And when is it going to end? The chances are it will be in one of the next four games and odds wise most likely to occur at Ibrox but that game aside this probably represents the biggest threat. It's a bit of a surprise then however to see Celtic as short as [1.64] in the match odds where Hibs are trading at [6.2] and the draw available at [4.1].

The prices were almost identical last weekend when Rangers travelled to Hearts. I rightly didn't see much value in Rangers at these kind of odds and although there is a strong case for the away win you cant ignore the recent results between the sides at this ground nor the fact that the visitors haven't been at their best recently and could be due one of those days where they don't get the breaks.

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