The only certainty in this season’s Scottish Premiership title race is that there will still be plenty of ups and downs.
It’s only once in eight months that Hearts, Rangers and Celtic all won in the same weekend.
Heading into the latest leg of this fascinating title race, the Jambos lead Danny Rohr’s side by three points, with Celtic a further two points ahead.
Here’s what managers have to say ahead of another big weekend…
McInnes: “It’s important to be on top in May”
Sunday, April 5th 1:00 p.m.
Kickoff at 2pm
Hearts have topped the Scottish Premiership on consecutive days since September 27, but the prospect of being knocked off the top by Rangers taking the lead is not a concern for Derek McInnes, who heads to Livingston on Sunday.
“In any case, we all need to play the same amount of games. So whether you play first or last, it’s neither here nor there for us. We just need to focus on the game,” he told Sky Sports News.
“From an aesthetic standpoint, sometimes people look at it a little bit more. But for us, we look at these two games at home against Livingston and Motherwell as an opportunity before we go into the split.”
“Everything will be resolved in the split anyway, but we want to go into the split in as good a position as possible, both in terms of performance and in terms of points.
Use Chrome Browser for a more accessible video player
Hearts beat Dundee in their last Scottish Premiership match
“Hopefully we can do that and get the first three on Sunday, but we know we have to work hard for them.
“I’m just happy to be a part of it. We’ve been at the top of the league for a long time and it’s important to be at the top of the league in May.”
“To do that, we have to continue to do our jobs well. The players have performed very well so far, so we just have to try to continue that.”
Roll: We have the quality to win the league.
Manager Danny Rolle believes Rangers have what it takes to win the title this season as they host Dundee United on Saturday as they aim to reach the top for the first time in more than two years.
“I’m happy. It feels great to see my group now. I’m seeing it grow,” he said.
“I think we’re mentally strong. We pulled out a win against St Mirren. We were under pressure after the two draws (against Livingston and Celtic) but we came back and performed very well.”
“We had a great performance against Aberdeen and we took advantage of our chances and that gave me a lot of confidence.
Use Chrome Browser for a more accessible video player
Rangers won 4-1 in the Scottish Premiership against Aberdeen before the international break
“There is no doubt that my group is strong and confident and has the quality to win the league.
“Yes, overall we are looking forward to this game. We want to win the next ‘cup match’. We have said this many times.”
“I think it’s normal for the first game after the international break to always take a little bit longer and that’s why I trust some of the players that were here, because we’ve been training together for the last two weeks.”
Youssef Cermiti is Rangers’ top scorer this season
“It feels good, but the best feeling has to be after the game and we won the game and came out on top.
“We have to work hard. We played them twice this season and didn’t win, so this is a new challenge. They did well against Celtic (2-0 win) and we are ready for this.”
“We know what we’re up against and it’s going to be a challenge. They have a small chance of getting into the top six and both teams want to win and we need to perform well.”
O’Neill: ‘Celtic are doing great to stay in the title race’
Sunday, April 5th 4:15pm
4:30pm kickoff
Celtic are 17 points worse off than they were at this stage last season, but manager Martin O’Neill remains hopeful of retaining the title ahead of Sunday’s trip to Dundee.
“It’s a big challenge, but a challenge worth taking,” he said.
“Two weeks ago we stalled, but there will be twists and turns.
“We have been trying to catch up since the second time we joined, but I think it will continue like this for a while.
“All I know is that this game on Sunday is a very important game for us. If we drop points with so few games left, it will be difficult to come back.”
Use Chrome Browser for a more accessible video player
Dundee head coach Stephen Pressley on Sunday’s game against Celtic and Dundee’s fight to stay safe in the Scottish Premiership
“I believe in the team and the great thing is that they believe in themselves.
“We’ve been chasing it and the results have been pretty good. We lost at home to Hibs and we lost there (against Dundee United), but we’re working really hard to stay in this race.”
