Goals from skipper Scott Brown and Kris Commons were enough to seal the victory for the Bhoys at Rugby Park – a result which closed the gap on Rangers to a solitary point.

The Gers themselves had put in a similarly impressive performance on Saturday, beating third-place Hearts 4-0 at Ibrox, to place them firmly in the driving seat with only two games to go in a season which has seen the top spot in the league switch from club to club on numerous occasions (Rangers now 4/11 to win the title).

Both sides face tough fixtures in the coming week, however, and have both already lost to the respective teams they play earlier in the campaign. Rangers host to Dundee United at Ibrox on Tuesday night – a match they lost 3-2 earlier in the season thanks to two goals from Scotland international striker David Goodwillie.

The Gers have struggled at times this season due to their relatively light squad but are now back to full strength after the return of the likes of Majid Bougherra and Lee McCulloch after injury lay-offs (Rangers 2/9 to beat Dundee United).

Celtic, meanwhile, travel to Tynecastle to face Hearts on Wednesday who themselves will be looking to bounce back after their disappointing result against the champions over the weekend (Celtic 4/9 to claim the victory).

Hearts beat Celtic 2-1 in the same fixture earlier this season in a match that was marred by controversy and saw Neil Lennon receive a touchline ban after a scuffle between both players and officials.

Hearts are always a difficult proposition, especially at home, and with the likes of Rudi Skacel and young winger David Templeton in attack, they have the ability to unlock any side.

Celtic will, of course, be doing all they can to secure the victory as they aim to take the title race to the last day of the season and will be looking to inspirational captain Scott Brown to lead them to victory. Top-scorer Gary Hooper could also be a key man and seems to have a habit of scoring important goals at crucial times for Lennon’s side.

The midweek fixtures look set to be the ones to decide the title race as both look to have relatively easy matches on the final day of the season – Celtic host Motherwell while Rangers, in what will be Walter Smith’s last game in charge before Ally McCoist takes over, travel to Kilmarnock.

If both sides win their midweek games, which is likely, it will undoubtedly mean an exciting last-day climax to what has certainly been a thrilling battle between the old foes at the top once again.

But Rangers, with the point advantage, have the upper hand and we expect them to end the season on top with two wins out of their final two games while Celtic, who should also take a maximum six points from the available six, look set for heartache and appear destined to miss out by just the single point when the season draws to a close in a weeks’ time.

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The Argentine forward, who lit up the Nou Camp last season, was speaking to Cuatro, a Spanish television station, and has become the latest star name to enter the ongoing saga.

Fabregas himself has made it no secret that he would like to return to Barcelona after starting his career there as a youth-team player. He moved to North London in 2003 and admitted on Friday that he is torn between playing for the two clubs he loves.

The midfielder has many friends at the Catalan giants, many of whom graduated through the La Masia academy with him. They have spent a large amount of the summer pleading with him to return and Messi is the latest star name to add his opinion.

He said: “It is no secret that Cesc is my friend. The whole world knows that and I would love him to sign for Barca.

“I hope that the matter can be resolved soon and I’m confident that in the end it will be resolved in the way that Cesc can be a Barcelona player.”

The story has been the most enduring of the summer, along with the potential transfer of another Spaniard – Fernando Torres at Liverpool.

Fabregas still has five years remaining on his Gunners contract and manager Arsene Wenger has challenged him to help Arsenal win the silverware that he so desperately craves (Arsenal 7/1 to win the Premier League).

However, it appears that that Arsenal boss is starting to lose patience, challenging the Spanish star to make up his mind regarding his future. After Arsenal’s first Emirates Cup game on Saturday, Wenger admitted that “In the last six months, this story has made our lives difficult” before insisting that only Fabregas can put an end to the speculation.

Wenger surmised: “Only Fabregas can clear the air when he comes back from holiday.

“I cannot master what is written in the newspapers, I can only master our decisions.

“Cesc has five years to go [on his contract] and that’s it.

“The speculation does not stop – who can stop the speculation? Only Cesc, that is how I feel.”
He also spoke of his frustration regarding the whole saga by saying: “He has not played today, we have just played a football game and I sit here speaking about Fabregas.”

Fabregas is currently on an extended break following his World Cup exploits in South Africa, exploits which were fruitful as Spain won the tournament. They have now been installed as 7/2 favourites to win the 2012 European Championships in Poland and the Ukraine.

Seeing the success that his former academy colleagues are enjoying at Barcelona – who won La Liga last season – clearly holds huge sway for the Arsenal captain yet how this saga plays out remains unclear.

Gunners fans will be hoping that he does stay at the Emirates but this story is likely to rumble on and on even if he does.

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