Fri Apr 4 16:05:58 2008

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Rangers set for tough stretch run

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Dundee, Scotland (Sports Network) - Rangers looks to be a good bet to capture its first Scottish Premier League title in three years after beating Celtic 1-0 last Saturday.

Walter Smith's side now owns a six-point lead with a game in hand on the Hoops, but the team is in the midst of playing five games in two weeks and could be playing a similar schedule the rest of the season.

Rangers will travel to Dundee United on Sunday, just three days after being held to a 0-0 draw by Sporting Lisbon in the first leg of their UEFA Cup quarterfinal matchup.

If the club is able to win the return leg in Portugal next week, they will be playing two or three games a week for the remainder of the season, a task that Smith feels will take a greater mental rather than physical toll on his team.

"Players are getting used to the fact that the games are coming thick and fast," Smith told the club's website. "We will be playing at least three times a week until the end of the season. And the mental aspect is sometimes far worse than the physical aspect."

The team is fighting battles on three fronts at the moment, chasing the SPL title as well as the UEFA Cup and Scottish Cup.

The potential is there for a historic year at the Ibrox, but Smith feels as though the team's ability to deal psychologically with a busy fixture list will ultimately determine how much silverware they accumulate this season.

"The games are becoming more important from a psychological point of view," Smith said. "We don't know if they can all handle it because they have not experienced it before. It's a challenge to us to see whether they can. It's a test for them and hopefully they will pass it."

Celtic will host Motherwell on Saturday in an effort to keep pace with Rangers and give themselves a chance at a third consecutive title. The match also carries importance for Motherwell because they are level on 49 points with Dundee United in a battle for third place.

Hibernian is three points back of Motherwell and will host St Mirren, while Inverness visits Gretna and Hearts invades Kilmarnock.

Aberdeen will round out the weekend with a home contest against Falkirk on Monday.