Agbonlahor: Rangers have title edge over Celtic after ‘huge’ development
Rangers’ continued European involvement could give them the edge over Celtic in the Scottish Premiership title race, according to Gabby Agbonlahor.
Speaking exclusively to Football Insider, the ex-Aston Villa and England forward claimed both sides need to treat their remaining league games as cup finals as the other sides are “putting up a big fight”.
It was confirmed last Friday (25 February) Rangers will face Red Star Belgrade in the Europa League round of 16 later this month.
Celtic crashed out of Europe last week (24 February) with a 5-1 aggregate defeat to Bodo/Glimt in the Europa Conference League.
The Hoops are three points clear at the top of the Scottish Premiership table with nine games left to play.
Asked whether Rangers’ European exploits could have a detrimental impact on their title defence, Agbonlahor told Football Insider correspondent Connor Whitley: “I don’t think so, no, that won’t be a distraction.
“Both teams are dropping points, whenever I look at the Scottish league there are points being dropped. It’s a credit to the Scottish league that teams aren’t just rolling over, they are putting up a big fight.
“Every game now for Celtic and Rangers is a cup final, it’s not just a guaranteed easy three points anymore.
“Being in Europe is what Rangers want and getting to the next round is huge. It can help in the league. As a player, if you don’t perform in the league you might not get a chance to play in the Europa League.
“It’s good to still be in it, they’ve got a big squad so it should be a good thing.”
In other news, Kieran Maguire has revealed Rangers and Celtic are pushing for a seven-figure deal the rest of the SPFL will hate.