Celtic and Rangers legends Neil Lennon, Alan Stubbs, Graeme Souness and Neil McCann on title race

Neil Lennon, Graeme Souness, Alan Stubbs and Neil McCann are former Old Firm players

Rarely does a Scottish Premiership weekend play out with both of the top two dropping points.

Even rarer is the event that unfolded on the opening weekend of March, when both Rangers and Celtic were defeated - the first time that had happened in six years.

Julius Caesar was warned to beware the Ides of March in William Shakespeare's famous historical drama and Saturday's home loss to Motherwell for Rangers and Sunday's defeat of Celtic by Hearts certainly had an air of foreboding for the title chasers.

Rangers remain in front by two points with nine games to play, including two Old Firm derbies.

'Celtic slight favourites'

Neil Lennon won the league as both player and manager at Celtic and believes his old club's experience gives them the edge, having won 11 of the past 12 titles.

"There might be a few more dropped points along the way," Lennon said. "There might be more dropped points after the split.

"Celtic have set a high bar over the years. They're probably not just reaching those levels that we'd expect of them over the years, but they've still got so much quality. They've been up and down with their performances.

"There will be fraught moments, but that's what you're in the game for when you're at a club like Rangers or Celtic. You're always under scrutiny, always under pressure to perform and win games. This is the real sort of test now between now and the end of the season to get over the line.

"I've always favoured Celtic just because of the experience they have and what they've achieved over the last six, seven years. I know players come and go, but the philosophy of the club is strong.

"Rangers under Philippe Clement have been excellent, you have to say, really consistent. It's going to be exciting and a fascinating watch. [Brendan Rodgers is] a quality manager and he's proved that over his career. I do believe he will get it right - he's an elite manager."

Lennon's former team-mate at Celtic, Alan Stubbs, agrees about who should hold the favourites tag but also sees similarities with his first league win with the club in 1998, when an extended period of Rangers dominance was ended on the last day of the campaign.

"When you look at the two teams, they're two very different teams," he said. "One more direct, one wants to play.

"Last weekend has been [Rangers'] first major blip and it'll be interesting to see now how they respond to that. What they've not had for a number of months now is a negative reaction because everything's been positive.

"It's on a knife edge. I still do think Celtic are slight favourites just because they've been there, seen it and done it. This is quite new and I think this is as close as what Rangers have been for a long time. It's going to be interesting to see how they deal with that pressure.

"This title is not going to be won until the very end, I don't think. I think it's going to go until the last couple of games. We know Celtic can see it through because they've done it, but can this Rangers team see it through?"

Rangers players "certainly listening" to Clement

Rangers' place at the top of the table is quite the turnaround. The Ibrox side were seven points behind Celtic when Michael Beale was sacked on 1 October and subsequently replaced with Philippe Clement.

Three-time title-winning former Ibrox boss Graeme Souness played an advisory role in the Belgian's appointment and has been impressed with what he's seen so far.

"It's a very different Rangers," Souness said. "Would [Philippe Clement] hold my attention? I am someone that would listen to him. He's certainly getting a tune out the players, they're certainly listening to him.

"He's calm, calculated. He can express himself very, very well. The players would appear to like him very much and enjoy working with him. It's upwards and onwards. He's doing a fabulous job. They're a much improved Rangers.

"I think they've got a great chance this year. No more than that, a great chance. Celtic have a great chance, but right now Rangers are in the box seat. If they win every game, they win the league. That's an almighty blow to Celtic this weekend, that they couldn't make ground up having seen Rangers slip up the day before."

Neil McCann won three league titles as a Rangers player.

"It's a huge opportunity missed by Celtic," the former Scotland winger said at Tynecastle on Sportscene.

"Celtic would have been coming here, certainly the fans would've been and everyone watching at home, believing that they're going to be top of the league.

"But they missed that opportunity and it just shows how tight this division can be."

The day before, after Rangers' 2-1 loss to Motherwell, McCann commented: "I can't sit here and be too critical of Rangers because they've been absolutely immense under Philippe Clement.

"That'll hurt. It's back to the drawing board."

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