Kris Commons in Rangers hat tip but predicts ruthless Celtic winning machine to show everyone 'gulf in class'

Kris Commons has commended Michael Beale for his Rangers record but is certain Saturday's showdown with Celtic will prove too much to overcome.

The Englishman has won every game since taking the reins at Ibrox bar a draw and defeat to Ange Postecoglou's side. They now head east aware defeat at Parkhead will lead to a de facto title party which would see the champions 12 points ahead with a vastly superior goal difference. Commons believes Beale's ability to win on a weekly basis deserves credit, however, he is convinced Saturday will be the end of the road with their faint title hopes extinguished for good.

Speaking in his Daily Mail column, Commons said: "When Beale replaced Giovanni van Bronckhorst during the World Cup break late last year, not many people would have expected Rangers to make it this far. They were spilling points on a weekly basis towards the end of Van Bronckhorst's tenure. Any notion of them still being in a position to challenge Celtic in April would have felt highly fanciful back then.

"So fair play to them for prolonging the matter for this long. I reckon most observers would have expected the title race to be done and dusted by now as we move into April. Since Beale took charge, Rangers have matched Celtic stride for stride in terms of points accumulated in the Premiership. The only time either team have dropped points was in the 2-2 draw at Ibrox at the turn of the year.

"Since then, Celtic have reeled off an incredible 15 straight victories in all competitions, including the 2-1 triumph over Rangers in the Viaplay Cup final a few weeks ago. It's been an astonishing run of form from Ange Postecoglou's side. They have been blowing teams away, scoring goals for fun. He's built a ruthless winning