Can Motherwell Halt Rangers SPL Title Bid?
Only a month or so ago the SPL title looked sure to be heading to Ibrox, but after losing twice to Old Firm rivals Celtic and only managing a draw at the weekend against Hibernian the odds on that happening have changed dramatically. Any slip up at home tonight against Motherwell would leave the SPL title wide open and could see the balance once more tip in the favour of Celtic.
Rangers trail Celtic by seven points but if they were to win their games in hand they would hold a slight lead in the tile race. However tonight Rangers start a sequence of games that will see them play seven matches in 18 days and that hectic schedule may just be the deciding factor on where the title is heading.
Rangers are still favourites at 5/6 (Skybet) to win the title while Celtic are available at 1/1 (Totesport). With Celtic having only two games left to play and Rangers having four left after tonight it may well pay to have a bet on Celtic as they have the points already on the board. While it’s by no means certain that Celtic will pick up all points in their remaining games, there has to be some doubt that Rangers will win all their fixtures given how many games they have to play in such a short period of time.
Tonight’s Match
Normally a home win for Rangers 1/4 (Paddy Power) would be the bet to be on, but given Rangers recent league form (no wins in four games) and with Motherwell needing the points to claim a European spot this match could be a lot closer than the prices suggest.
Rangers still have injury problems and Motherwell will visit Ibrox with a chance of taking something from the game. They lost narrowly to Celtic at the weekend and probably deserved to take at least a point from the match. It’s only a few weeks ago that Motherwell went to Celtic Park and snatched a goal that saw them win the game, so they are more than capable of causing an upset tonight.
The two previous meetings between the clubs this season resulted in a 3-1 home win for Rangers and a 1-1 draw when they met at Fir Park. Having scored in both previous games it could pay to take Motherwell to do the same tonight and with Motherwell on offer at 10/11 (Paddy Power) to score one or more goals this bet looks worth taking.
It’s hard to see Motherwell actually getting an away win 10/1 (Coral) but it could be worth having a small bet on them getting a draw 5/1(Bet365) and putting a dent in Rangers title aspirations. The correct score of 1-1 is also worth considering at odds of 11/1 (Ladbrokes).
