' GERS STILL IN TITLE RACE'

GIOVANNI VAN BRONCKHORST has backed Rangers to stake their claim for the Premiership title once his Ibrox squad is boosted after the World Cup break.

The Dutchman has seen his side fall seven points adrift of Celtic at the top of the table after drawing with Livingston and losing to St Johnstone in recent weeks.

Those results have piled on the pressure and Rangers must now follow up their win against Hearts in midweek by overcoming St Mirren in their final fixture before the Premiership shutdown.

Striker Antonio Colak will miss the Buddies clash after becoming the latest victim of the Ibrox injury curse this term but he will return to action next month as the walking wounded continue their rehabilitation schedules.

And Van Bronckhorst is determined to finish with a much- needed victory in Paisley and ensure Rangers set themselves up to challenge their Old Firm rivals during the title run- in.

Van Bronckhorst said: “Hopefully there will be players back after the World Cup. We know that there are still some who are long term. But we have to do everything to get our players back as quickly as possible without taking any risks. We’ll see where we stand after the break.

“I see my team fighting, I see them working hard. Sometimes it’s difficult if you are in very demanding weeks and your mental and physical energy is not there, which is understandable with all the games you play.

“Some players need to play all the games when we don’t have any room to rotate. So it’s understandable. I see this squad doing everything it can to win games.

“Of course [ we still have a shot at the title]. It’s seven points. I think a couple of weeks ago we were only two points away and then with one result maybe we could have overtaken so the margins are really close.

“You can score the winning goal in the last minute or concede a goal for a draw. The margins are so, so close.

“That will be every weekend and we have to make sure our results are very constant in winning games. That is our most important message and what we have to improve.”