Rangers face a potentially decisive month in their bid to retain the Clydesdale Bank Premier League title, according to midfielder Lee McCulloch.
Rangers are two points clear of Celtic with a game in hand at the top of the SPL after Sunday's match at Dundee United was postponed due to snow. Walter Smith's men meet third-placed Hearts on Saturday, with McCulloch fully aware the five top-flight fixtures Rangers will play in December could prove pivotal in the title race with Celtic, a team they meet on January 2.
"The month of December is always an important period of the season," McCulloch said in the Evening Times.
"We hit a bit of form around this stage last season and it was obviously very important in terms of us winning the championship.
"December and January are always important because there are a lot of fixtures and it's an opportunity to give yourselves a good chance of winning the league.
"That's the way we've got to look at it."
Following the Hearts clash, Rangers meet Bursaspor in Turkey in Champions League Group C with their Europa League place already guaranteed.
League meetings with Inverness, St Mirren, Motherwell and St Johnstone follow before the Old Firm derby on January 2.
Source: PA
