Think about it, the season starts with high expectations and the mutterings around the grounds about who will win the league. There is the talk of whom, if anyone can split the Old Firm and where the league flag would be flying come May.

Throwing a bold prediction out there; Inverness Caley Thistle won’t win the league title this season. Okay; I jest. That is more than a slightly smug prediction. The title will be staying in Glasgow and Celtic and Rangers will be the top two clubs in Scotland once again. This is a fact and I’d be willing to bet crazy amounts of money to prove it.

Who tops the table is another matter altogether though and it is anyone’s guess right now of to which side of Glasgow the SPL trophy will be flying to, come ‘Helicopter Sunday’. Both sets of fans will argue that their side is the more worthy.

Celtic, it seems, have erectile dysfunction. One minute they are up, raring to go and can’t be stopped. Next they are struggling, have no fluency and can’t get going. Gary Hooper is key if they have any chance of lifting the trophy for the first time in four years. The English striker has been a great buy for the club and can be relied on to score the goals that are needed to change a game. His sometime strike partner Anthony Stokes is another key player but has to be playing regularly in order to make an impact on the destination of the title.

A negative factor for the green half of the city could be their participation in the Europa League. It seems that they are going to have a hard time of it and an extra midweek game every fortnight will make for a lot more Sunday games. That will allow Rangers the chance to play before their rivals and pick up points before Celtic have played; increasing the pressure on Neil Lennon’s team.

Two other players who will be crucial are Beram Kayal and Emilio Izaguirre, two of Celtic’s consistent performers. If Izaguirre can return from injury sooner than first thought then he will bring back a sense of stability to a somewhat shaky and inexperienced defence.

Rangers on the other hand have not struggled, well at least not in the Scottish Premier League. Early exits in Europe and the League Cup have not hindered Ally McCoist’s men on their way too seven wins from eight league games; the only slip up being a draw at home to Hearts on the first day of the season.

Carlos Bocanegra and Dorin Goian, two late signings in the summer transfer window, have cemented their places in the heart of the Rangers defence and made it appear rock solid. Rangers look like a team that can easily retain their title for the fourth successive year.

The only way Rangers can lose their grasp on the title is if they start to slip up in the games they are so seasoned at grinding out results in. With players such as Steven Naismith and Kyle Lafferty in spectacular form it looks like a foregone conclusion but this is Scottish football and anything can happen.

It promises to be a two horse race once again but this is why we love the Scottish Premier League. Rangers have got it all to lose and with only being in two competitions surely their squad will be able to handle the pressure better than that of Celtic who have all four competitions still to grapple with.

Photo courtesy of Jim Easton.