Celtic is poised to edge Rangers for the Scottish Premier League title on the final day of the season Thursday. If it does, the club will dedicate the trophy to former coach Tommy Burns, who died last week.
Having overcome a once sizable Rangers lead, Celtic can secure its 42nd league title with a victory at Dundee United. Celtic has 86 points, the same as Rangers, but leads on goal difference by four.
"What we have done is take it to the last game of the season, which seven weeks ago didn't look possible, so we take the enthusiasm of the past six or seven weeks and use it ... in the game," Celtic manager Gordon Strachan said Wednesday.
Rangers is at Aberdeen, and manager Walter Smith is simply aiming for any win rather than a high scoring one. He then must prepare the side for Saturday's Scottish Cup final against Queen of the South.
"It is disrespectful to the other teams involved in our matches if you think it's a case of how many we can score," Smith said. "We have to talk about winning first and there are other scenarios involved other than goal difference. We will play to try to win this game."
If Celtic loses or draws, Rangers can take its 52nd league title with a win.
Rangers, which won the Scottish League Cup on April 20, had its bid for four trophies ended last week when it lost in the UEFA Cup final 2-0 to Zenit St. Petersburg. The club's image took a battering when its fans rioted in the streets of Manchester. The Scottish league season was extended four days because Rangers made the UEFA Cup final.
"This is the kind of pressure that we deal with week in, week out," Rangers captain David Weir said. "Everybody is saying this is a big game but every match we've played in the last two or three months has been important."
Celtic took control of the title race by winning the last two matches between the sides last month, when Rangers was caught up in the fixture congestion that came from advancing to three cup finals.
"We will just think about winning the game and will see what happens," Strachan said. "We are enjoying our football at the moment. We have enjoyed playing catch up and we have done that so far. Now we must try and continue."
Celtic has endured an emotional week, with the death of the popular Burns from skin cancer on May 15 at the age of 51 and his funeral on Tuesday.
"What Tommy would like is for the people who were around him to be enjoying themselves, so what we are going to do is try and do it for the people that Tommy wanted to make happy," Strachan said. "That means his former teammates, players and the fans."
Celtic is on a six-match winning streak and has no new injuries.
Rangers, meanwhile, has lost Steven Naismith, Chris Burke and Allan McGregor to long term injuries and defender Sasa Papac is a doubt for Thursday. However, DaMarcus Beasley, who returned from nearly six months out with a knee injury in the 3-0 win over St. Mirren on Monday, should be available.
