The next five fixtures “will really shape the season” for Rangers, believes former midfielder Andy Halliday.
Having achieved back-to-back victories over Celtic, Derek McInnes’ men return from the international break by welcoming Kilmarnock to Ibrox on Saturday.
They then travel to Dundee and host St Johnstone before a trip to Hearts as they aim to reel in their city rivals at the summit.
The crucial five-match run ends with their League Cup semi-final against McInnes’ former side Aberdeen at Hampden.
“Tough run of games coming up,” Halliday told BBC Scotland. “The next five will really shape the season, I think.
“But if they take the momentum they’ve carried forward from previous games, they will be attacking them head-on with a lot of confidence.”
McInnes has turned things around after a challenging start, winning six matches in a row to progress to the last four of the League Cup and move within two points of Celtic at the top of the Scottish Premiership.
Former Rangers player Halliday added: “The team had a lot of criticism at the start of this season, probably rightly so, and they’ve had a lot of praise over the past month or two, again rightly so.
“I can’t remember many Rangers performances that were as comfortable as that at Celtic Park last time out.
“The break has probably not come at a great time for them, but I’m sure they’ve been working hard to come back and start all over again.”