Celtic's fear factor has gone, says former Rangers midfielder Alex Rae

Celtic's fear factor has gone and opposition sides believe they can beat them, says former Rangers midfielder Alex Rae.

The Hoops lost just four league matches in Brendan Rodgers' first two seasons in charge, but have already lost two of their six Scottish Premiership matches in this campaign.

They were beaten 2-1 by Kilmarnock on Sunday to leave them sixth in the table, six points behind Hearts in first.

Rae, who also played for Falkirk and Dundee, told Sky Sports News: "They're not firing at the top end of the pitch, although defensively they've been relatively sound.

"The fear factor's gone now. Teams feel as if they can get points against Brendan Rodgers' team.

"I think the hangover from the transfer window, and Moussa Dembele exiting so late, has caused them problems. They're struggling to get momentum at the moment."

While Rae was pessimistic about Celtic's current predicament, he believes the future is bright for Rangers under the management of Steven Gerrard.

They haven't won the title since 2011, but Rae says there is belief at the club that this could be their year.

"It's a totally transformed Rangers team under Steven Gerrard," said Rae. "Defensively they've been very sound. They're free-flowing - the confidence is flowing with nine goals in their last two games.

"Gerrard has got them on the front foot and momentum is clearly with Rangers at the moment.

"The key thing is they have players for every position now. I think competition's been sparse over the years.

"He's got a belief in the squad and in Europe they've really been impressive. There's a belief this may well be their season."