Jim Duffy thinks Celtic have one 'instrumental' advantage in Scottish Premiership title race

Celtic are in familiar territory at the top of the table as Brendan Rodgers looks to see off Philippe Clement to win the Scottish Premiership title.

On Wednesday, Rangers cut the gap at the summit by defeating managerless Ross County; however, the Bhoys remained in pole position by the metric of goals scored.

Next up for Rodgers’ men is a home clash against Kilmarnock, which will allow them to open up a three-point advantage if they can navigate past Derek McInnes and company on Saturday.

Despite not always turning in the most elegant performances, Celtic have gathered eight victories in their last nine across all competitions, showing a steely resilience to get themselves back on the canvas.

Momentum is a key factor in football, no matter what way someone tries to spin it; however, they will need to take full advantage of their recent wave to ensure they stay ahead of the chasing pack.

Cameron Carter-Vickers, Reo Hatate, and Alistair Johnston are still some way from returning to action. On the flip side, Greg Taylor is back in contention to face his former club after recovering from a calf strain.

Jim Duffy thinks Celtic could have an advantage in title race

As we all know, the two remaining Glasgow Derby matches could prove to be the deciding factor regarding the destination of this year’s Scottish Premiership title.

Celtic have come up trumps in either contest this season, proving they are still the team to beat in this country, for now, at both Ibrox and Parkhead.

Former Greenock Morton manager Jim Duffy is of the opinion these fixtures will be ‘instrumental’ in the context of the campaign and believes Celtic are ‘ahead’ of their rivals in that respect.

Duffy stated [Clyde 1 Superscoreboard]: “There will be twists and turns; of course, the games against each other can definitely be pivotal and be instrumental in where the title eventually goes, and Celtic, at this moment in time, are ahead in that department.

“Rangers will have to find a formula to overturn the results when they play each other. But I think there still will be points dropped.”

He later added: “The closer you get to the end of the season, you’ll have the teams fighting for their lives at the bottom, so I’ve got no doubt that there’ll be points dropped in other games, surprisingly.

“I still believe that the games against each other will determine where the title goes, and I think it’ll go right to the dying weeks of this season; I think it’ll be within the last week or two this season before the title is decided.”

There is a long way to go in the hunt for the title, though Duffy’s general viewpoint is probably widely shared by most in Scottish footballing circles.

Within the walls of Parkhead, the focus will be solely on claiming three points against Kilmarnock this weekend.

Rodgers is acutely aware of what is at stake and the consequences if his side fails to meet expectations on the day, making it a must-win affair for the league holders.