'Just like that' - Ex-Rangers star Mark Hateley makes bold title prediction Celtic won't like

Former Rangers striker Mark Hateley is backing his old club to win a treble this season despite them currently trailing Celtic in the Premiership.

The Gers had a miserable start to the season under new boss Derek McInnes, losing a couple of key players to injury along the way, but they have picked up a little form of late.

McInnes' men have booked their spot in the Premier Sports Cup final, and while they are four points behind Celtic in the league, they do have a game in hand and a potential mental edge in the Old Firm, given they have already won two of the derby games this season.

“I think we’ve made massive strides under Derek in a short space of time," Hateley told Clyde1 SSB. "So, you know, fingers crossed we keep doing that.

“I was at the game when we got knocked out of Europe and my first thoughts of that was this could be, you know, this could be a blessing in disguise. More time on the training ground, getting to know your players.

“I came out when we got knocked out of Europe, said I would probably do a treble now, just like that. Probably stand by that.”

That's an ambitious shout from Hateley. The lack of European football certainly is a factor. Celtic have had to deal with a relentless schedule over the last five or six weeks, playing midweek every week during that period, while Rangers have only played one midweek game, which was their Premier Sports Cup game.

Fatigue accumulated for Celtic and was visible in some games, while Rangers have had the gift of having fresh legs more often than not, and that will continue to be the case for the rest of the year.

Celtic are not likely to extend their European season much beyond February, with a deep run in the Europa League looking very unlikely, but they will have more miles in the legs come the back-end of the season, and you can already look at players like Colby Donovan, who has 21 appearances this season, and question whether that might become a problem for some players.

It's Celtic's job to handle that, though, and the club must make sure there are sufficient options for Martin O'Neill to call upon, with a couple of January additions likely needed to get them through this campaign following a frustrating summer window.