Having gotten their noses in front of Celtic for the first time in months, Rangers are now facing a different kind of pressure as they bid to reclaim the league title.
That said, the higher stakes were not felt on Saturday as Philippe Clement’s side cruised to a 5-0 victory over third-placed Hearts, with the first three strikes coming before the break.
Rangers made light work of opponents who had previously pushed them on three occasions earlier in the campaign, and it extended their winning run in all competitions to nine matches.
With a Europa League tie against Benfica just around the corner, Clement will recognise the importance of maintaining their streak in the short term, the hope being that Celtic will again drop points.
The next Old Firm encounter does not come until April 7, with Rangers looking to head into that potentially-pivotal contest with an advantage, as opposed to recent times when Celtic have generally been top when those fixtures have taken place.
While Rangers head into this game having scored 11 goals across their last three fixtures, Kilmarnock have impressively lost just once in 14 matches.
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That came against Rangers on January 2, Derek McInnes’ side pushing their hosts at Ibrox before ultimately succumbing to a 3-1 scoreline.
Since that occasion, Kilmarnock have failed to score more than twice in a game across seven matches, yet just four goals have been conceded during that period.
Following on from their dramatic 1-1 draw at Celtic, Kilmarnock were able to overcome Aberdeen by a 2-0 scoreline at the weekend, ensuring that they remain two points ahead of fifth-placed St Mirren.
