Scott McDonald and Kris Boyd differ over Celtic v Rangers semi-final
Monday 7 March 2016 16:23, UK
Former Celtic and Rangers strikers Scott McDonald and Kris Boyd have differing views on the outcome of the Scottish Cup semi-final between the sides next month.
Australia international McDonald, who spent three years at Celtic, believes the match could be coming at the ideal time for his old side who, despite boasting a four-point lead - and a plus-31 goal difference over Aberdeen atop the Premiership - have come under fire from press and fans alike in recent weeks.
Championship pacesetters Rangers sealed their place in the last four with a comfortable 4-0 victory over Dundee on Saturday, while Celtic beat Morton 3-0 at Celtic Park 24 hours later.
Motherwell striker McDonald said: "I think off the back of probably Rangers winning 4-0 against Dundee everyone thinks they are there or thereabouts, and Celtic's form has been up and down of recent.
"But I think it's probably the game Celtic were looking for. It's sort of given them motivation, they shouldn't need it, but I think it gives them the extra edge going into the title run-in as well."
Boyd was part of the Rangers squad in the previous meeting between the clubs when Celtic won 2-0 in the semi-final of last season's League Cup, and the 32-year-old is confident his former club can go all the way in the competition this season.
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"I fully expect a Rangers team to come here full of belief," said the Kilmarnock striker. "I think they've got that close-knit unit when you read anything they say they believe they can do anything right now.
"And rightly so, because of the way they are performing. When you look at the way they performed on Saturday it was excellent right from the word go."
