Walter Smith believes Rangers' points advantage at the top of the Premiership table won't look quite as rosy to current boss Steven Gerrard.

The Ibrox outfit have an 11-point lead at the summit but rivals Celtic have two games in hand. Winning those would cut Gers' lead to five points and Smith reckons Gerrard has warned his players to expect the Hoops to pick up maximum points.

The Light Blues legend is convinced Gerrard will form a pragmatic viewpoint to ensure his stars don't get complacent. "It’s easy for everyone to turn round and say that Celtic are 11 points behind,” said Smith. "But I have no doubt that Steven will consider that they are five points in front.

"That’s not an insult to any of the other teams in Scotland. That’s just reality that, over the years, Celtic have a record of winning ‘X’ number of games and winning championships. Celtic have handled the pressure over those years and Rangers would have to say that that’s the case.

"So I would look upon it myself, from a managerial point of view, as five. I would say: 'Right, we’ve done really well, we’ve got ourselves five points in front and we need to keep going.'"

Speaking to the Times, Smith added: "That’s the way, I’m sure, they will look at it. So your team continue to do what they’ve been doing to get you there.

"You will ignore whether it’s 11 points, five points or whatever, will face the challenge of trying to win every game. The signs are there that they’re doing that."