Former Celtic captain Scott Brown claims the gap between the champions and Rangers remains significant on the park – and he has tipped his old club to get stronger and stronger after the winter break.
Celtic went into the mid-season interval eight points clear in the Scottish Premiership, although Rangers have two games in hand.
Brendan Rodgers’ side earned a 2-1 triumph over their city rivals before closing the first part of the season with a convincing 3-0 win over St Mirren to make it four victories in a row.
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Former Celtic captain Scott Brown believes a striker will be top of Brendan Rodgers’ wish list in January.
The top-flight clubs resume their season in the Scottish Gas Scottish Cup in the third weekend of January, with Philippe Clement’s Rangers side looking to build on their Viaplay Cup success.
Brown said: “It gives Rangers that little bit of momentum, they know what silverware is like this season, and will obviously think they can go on and win the league and another cup.
“But Celtic have a strong squad and, as you saw when they played the other week, the gap was quite big, the way the Celtic front three pressed, the quality they have got, I think that’s the difference.
“When you play in big games at home, you are expected to win and put on a show and that’s what Celtic did.
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Highlights from the Cinch Scottish Premiership match between Celtic and Rangers.
“I thought they played exceptionally well, especially the first 75-80 minutes, they dominated, they were on the front foot, and they looked like the only team that was going to score.
“They have put themselves in a great position and now they are going to get stronger and stronger, and they will look fitter.
“Usually going from New Year to the end of the season, Celtic are very, very strong. I will be looking forward to seeing how they go forward in the ways Brendan wants them to go forward.”
Liel Abada and Reo Hatate have returned from injury
Reo Hatate and Liel Abada returned in the final games of the festive period after missing much of the season through injury, while Cameron Carter-Vickers is set to return from a hamstring problem this month.
And Brown believes Celtic will further benefit from more time on the training pitch under Rodgers.
“Especially when it goes Saturday to Saturday, you get a lot more rest and if the manager has new faces coming in he can work on the shape and structure of the team but also the way they want to be in and out of possession,” he said.
“He will be able to get his ideas and methods through to them a lot quicker than he would have done if they did have European football. The third game in a week is hard on anyone’s body.”
Celtic begin their Scottish Cup defence against Buckie Thistle
Celtic resume their season with a home tie against Highland League side Buckie Thistle on January 21.
“They will love it, coming to Celtic Park understanding what it’s like to play against the top team in Scotland,” Brown said.
“I’m sure some of them will be Celtic fans and I’m sure some of them will be Rangers fans as well.”
Brown was speaking a a press event organised by Scottish Gas, proud partners of the Men’s and Women’s Scottish Cups.
Follow the January transfer window with Sky Sports
The winter transfer window is now open and will close at 11pm in England and midnight in Scotland on Thursday 1 February, 2024.
To ensure harmonisation with the major leagues in Europe, the closing dates were set following discussions with the EFL, DFL, Serie A, LaLiga, and LFP, who will all close their summer and winter windows on 1 September and 1 February respectively.
Keep up to date with all the latest transfer news and rumours in our dedicated Transfer Centre blog on Sky Sports’ digital platforms, while you can also catch up with the ins, outs and analysis on Sky Sports News, including daily transfer shows, and listen to our Transfer Talk podcast.
Scottish Premiership and SWPL on Sky Sports
Sky Sports – This season up to 48 cinch Premiership games will be available across Sky Sports’ flagship channels, including Sky Sports Football and Sky Sports Main Event, plus at least five SWPL matches. From 2024/25, up to 60 cinch Premiership will be live on Sky Sports, in addition to the SWPL.
Sky Sports News – Running 24 hours a day, seven days a week, Scottish football fans can enjoy Sky Sports News’ (channel 409) rolling editorial coverage of the cinch Premiership and SWPL throughout the season.
Sky Sports Digital – Follow all the latest from Scottish football across SkySports.com and app, including exclusive features and interviews, plus dedicated live blog coverage, in-game clips from matches live on Sky Sports and free highlights.
Sky Sports Social – Alongside coverage and visibility for the league across all Sky Sports’ main social media channels, the bespoke X page @ScotlandSky (formerly known as Twitter) will continue to be the home of all Scottish football content on Sky Sports.
Highlights show – Tune in for a dedicated round-up from the cinch Premiership every week on Sky Sports Football.
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