World Cup winner makes Hearts prediction that leaves Rangers in the dust as he places faith in Jambos
The former Arsenal and Barcelona man has been talking Scottish football.
A World Cup winner has insisted Hearts are primed to split the Old Firm again this season.
The Jambos have progressed to the Premier Sports Cup semi-finals, currently sitting second in the Premiership under head coach Wouter Vrancken, amid a nine-game unbeaten run. Celtic are atop of the tree currently with a perfect record while Rangers have started to even out under former Hearts manager Derek McInnes after a turbulent start to his tenure.
Already though, that might be too much for the Light Blues to overcome in terms of a title tilt, according to Emmanuel Petit. The legendary midfielder who won the World Cup with France in 1998 and the Premier League at Arsenal insists Hearts are stronger contenders to finish second than Rangers with his belief that Celtic will retain their champions crown.
World Cup winner on Hearts chances of splitting the Old Firm
He told Boyle Sports: "Rangers have changed managers so many times recently but stability is something that is really important. Honestly, when you look at the teams who win league titles every season, they all have stability. Most of the time, it’s no surprise who is at the top and something is missing from Rangers now.
"Celtic have had a perfect start to the season so I think the way it is going, the title will be theirs again. Maybe Hearts will finish second too. Rangers? I don’t see them as part of the picture. Too many injured players. They’ve already fallen off. It’s a pity for Derek McInnes."
Vrancken said after Hearts’ 3-0 quarter-final win over Stenhousemuir: "A really good game, mature, this is what we wanted to see. Really, really mature and professional, not forcing things, because players who haven't had as many minutes made a good start, but then can start to try to force things to show themselves, but it was not forcing.
"They played within the game plan and showed energy. I am happy to see how they handled it. JJ Williams played a really good game. He has an open personality and he is fitting in and finding connection outside of the pitch already with others. He had a chance to show from the start, and he did the right things and tried to help his team-mates and did the right things out of possession. I am happy for his performance and especially happy for him that he could show those things."