Derek McInnes has dismissed the idea that Rangers can put pressure on Celtic and Hearts with a win against Dundee on Saturday evening. A victory at Dens Park would take Rangers above Celtic to the Scottish Premiership summit, with their Glasgow rivals not in action until Sunday, when they face third-place Hearts in a rematch of last season's title decider.
McInnes' side have won their past seven matches in all competitions, in contrast to Celtic, who have stumbled of late, losing four of their past five. The Rangers boss, however, says it is too early to look beyond their own fixtures. "The thing for me with that is you've still just got to win your game," McInnes said, when asked whether Rangers could gain a psychological advantage over Celtic and Hearts with a victory. "Whenever you're asked to play, whether it's a Friday, Saturday, Sunday or Monday, you've just got to win your game. It's a bit early in the season to [put pressure on title rivals]."
Celtic and Hearts were both in European action on Thursday. Celtic were swept aside 4-1 by Benfica in the Europa League, while Hearts drew 1-1 with Nordsjaelland in the Conference League. Rangers missed out on Europe this season after a disappointing Conference League play-off defeat by Czech Republic side Jablonec in August.
"Of course we would rather be in Europe and there was a wee bit of envy watching last night, but the only benefit from that is if we can be successful domestically," McInnes said. "It does give us longer to prepare for games but it doesn't guarantee anything." He added that he was more focused on improving and getting another three points than on pressuring opponents. "Small steps, win your game and don't be too obsessed with what's happening elsewhere."
Source: BBC Sport Football · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing