Fashion Sakala declares Rangers better than Celtic as striker also insists Steven Gerrard would have won 56

Fashion Sakala has insisted Rangers are the best team in Scotland. The Zambian ace is adamant his side are the country’s top dogs - and would have had the title to prove it last year had Steven Gerrard not quit Ibrox.

The evidence this year suggests otherwise with Gers currently trailing Ange Postecoglou’s rampant Premiership favourites by nine points. But Sakala argued a Hampden victory for his side in Sunday’s Viaplay Cup final will hush the doubters and settle the debate.

In a sensational sit-down interview in which he also claimed Gers were “easy to beat” under former boss Gio van Bronckhorst, the Ibrox frontman said: “When you play against Celtic, it’s a different game. You just want to hurt them! I don’t know what’s the right word to use. We just want to see our fans happier than their fans. We just want to hurt them, to make them angry.

“It’s more than a game. I don’t know what else to call it. But you’re always thinking about being better than them. That’s the attitude we are going with on Sunday.

“Yes we’re better than them, so much better! But we’re nine points behind! We’ll keep fighting anyway. I think we are such a better club. A far better club. If we get that trophy on Sunday it will prove that we are a better team than them.”

Sakala was lured to Scotland by Gerrard in the summer of 2021. But the former Oostende frontman spent just five months working under the Liverpool icon before Gerrard was tempted south to take on the Aston Villa job. Van Bronckhorst returned to Glasgow to lead Gers on a Europa League thrill ride that took them all the way to Seville - but he failed to finish the job at home as the Light Blues threw away the promising Premiership position Gerrard had left them in.

Sakala added: “A