Wednesday 17 February 2016 19:04, UK
Rangers and Hibernian could be on course for a Championship title decider after each progressed in the Scottish Cup on Tuesday.
The Ibrox side claimed a place in the quarter-finals at home to Dundee or Dumbarton with their last-minute 2-1 win over Kilmarnock.
Likewise, Hibs will host trophy holders Inverness Caledonian Thistle as a result of their 1-0 fifth round replay win over Hearts.
The top two teams in Scotland's second tier are currently scheduled to meet at Easter Road on Monday, March 7.
But that date clashes with the next stage of the Scottish Cup and the SPFL said earlier this month the game would move to April 19 or 20 if one or both sides remained in that event.
It cannot be played any earlier due to a number of factors including the clubs' continued involvement in other knockout tournaments.
Hibernian will play Ross County in the League Cup final at Hampden Park on March 13 and have had to move their league meeting with Livingston, currently set for the day before, as a result.
Rangers also visit Hampden on April 10 for their Petrofac Cup decider with Peterhead and are having to rearrange their Championship match against Dumbarton from 24 hours earlier.
Combined with a fixtures backlog, the need to hold dates back for Scottish Cup replays means the first date Hibs and Rangers can play falls just a week-and-a-half before the campaign ends.
That means the match could become even more significant than it was already set to be - or arguably a lot less.
As things stand Rangers lead Hibernian by eight points at the top of the table having played a game more and recently won six league games in a row.
They also won 11 consecutive Championship fixtures earlier in the campaign while Hibs recorded eight back-to-back victories at one stage.
It is feasible both sides could replicate that form until they are due to meet again in a few weeks.
If they do - and Hibs win their extra game - Rangers will go there five points ahead with three games left knowing a victory would give them the title.
Alternatively, Warburton's side could already be champions by then, whereas they would have been some way from achieving that status had they met Alan Stubbs' team on March 7.
If they dip and Hibs keep winning, there is also the prospect of the latter having a chance to set up a title win of their own in the latter stages of the season by beating the Ibrox club.
Rangers secured two SPL titles at Easter Road in 2005 and 2010 - winning 1-0 each time - and ended Celtic's run of nine consecutive championships in 1975 with a 1-1 draw.
