Aaron Ramsey, spluttering Rangers, motoring Celtic and the title: The key factors at play as Dortmund dilemma comes into view

Attempting to read the runes over the destination of the title becomes a pastime impossible to resist whenever the Glasgow footballing institutions find themselves engaged in a battle royale for top flight supremacy.

Such indulgences then are guaranteed by Celtic having opened up a three-point gap over Rangers at the summit of the cinch Premiership table following Sunday’s twists. Ange Postecoglou’s men forcing a late winner at home to Dundee hours after the Ibrox club could not do likewise in being held at Tannadice will ensure the deployment of various forms of clairvoyance and mysticism, never mind good, old fashioned number-crunching. All with the purpose of ascertaining which of the two will more assiduously navigate the remaining 11 league games to plant the league flag on their patch. Two of these encounters, crucially, pitting them against each other.

Contrasting trajectories

Even if Celtic current advantages extend to a nine-goal superior goal difference that effectively demands Rangers affect a four-point swing, the reality is that the present status of Postecoglou’s men is one of huge promise. And not more. Not yet. It isn’t fence-sitting to say, as the Australian continually does, that no undulations thus far in the title race could be considered of monumental importance. Especially with what is just around the corner. Celtic, just as their Achilles heel of defending set-pieces has reared up again, head to Easter Road on Sunday, host St Mirren the following midweek, then pitch up at the plastic of their bogey team Livingston. As they do so, Rangers will entertain Motherwell and Aberdeen, either side of a midweek trip to Perth for a date with St Johnstone. It is not a stretch to believe that in the course of