Rangers will look to bounce back from a disappointing defeat last time out when they travel to Fir Park to face Motherwell in the Scottish Premiership on Sunday.
The hosts are sixth in the table with 26 points from 18 fixtures, while the visitors are second in the standings with 35 points from their first 17 league games.
Match preview
![Motherwell manager Stuart Kettlewell during the Premier Sports Cup Group G match at Fir Park against Partick Thistle on 28/07/2024[on August 1, 2024]](https://sm.imgix.net/24/31/stuart-kettlewell.jpg?w=640&h=480&auto=compress,format&fit=clip "Motherwell manager Stuart Kettlewell during the Premier Sports Cup Group G match at Fir Park against Partick Thistle on 28/07/2024[on August 1, 2024]")
© Imago
Motherwell have enjoyed a largely positive first half to the 2024-25 season, sitting sixth in the table with 26 points from 18 matches after eight wins, two draws and eight defeats.
That leaves them five points clear of seventh-placed Hibernian as the Steelmen aim to finish inside the top half of the Scottish Premiership standings for the first time since 2021-22, having finished seventh and ninth in the last two terms.
While Stuart Kettlewell will be pleased with how their season has played out thus far, Motherwell have endured periods of inconsistency throughout this term, with multiple spells of successive defeats.
They suffered three consecutive defeats through late November and early December before finally ending the streak with back-to-back wins, but they have since fallen back to a draw and loss in their last two outings.
Aiming to bounce back from the most recent disappointing 4-0 loss to Celtic, Motherwell will now face the second best side in the league in Rangers, who they have not defeated at home since May 2015.
Rangers are also seeking redemption after a frustrating 2-1 defeat to St Mirren in their previous match, when Caolan Boyd-Munce's 93rd-minute winner stole all three points despite the Gers dominating the game.
That marks their second defeat in the span of three matches, having also disappointingly lost to Celtic in the Scottish League Cup final on penalties after a dramatic 3-3 draw in normal time.
Those results will leave Rangers fans and Philippe Clement with growing concerns of a return to their form in the earlier parts of the season, which saw Rangers record their worst Scottish Premiership start since their first year back in the top flight in 2016-17.
The Gers have been particularly underwhelming on the road, having won three, drawn one and lost four of their eight away league fixtures, another factor that may worry supporters and Clement.
However, they will draw confidence from their superb record against Motherwell in recent years, especially away from home, with Rangers having won all of their last six visits to Fir Park.
Team News
© Imago
The hosts are unable to call upon the services of Callum Slattery, Jack Vale, Paul McGinn and Ross Callachan for this match due to ongoing injury issues.
After suffering a demolition at the hands of Celtic in their last outing, losing 4-0 to the league leaders, Kettlewell could opt to make a number of changes to the starting side here.
Rangers are also dealing with several injury concerns as John Souttar, Neraysho Kasanwirjo, Rabbi Matondo and Tom Lawrence are all unlikely to feature here due to injury.
While they were defeated 2-1 by St Mirren in their last outing, Clement will be encouraged from their dominant performance, meaning the manager could name a similar side here.
Motherwell possible starting lineup:
Oxborough; Casey, Balmer, Blaney; Kaleta, Nicholson, Miller, Wilson; Halliday, Maswanhise; Stamatelopoulos
Rangers possible starting lineup:
Butland; Tavernier, Propper, Sterling, Jefte; Diomande, Raskin; Cerny, Danilo, Hagi; Igamane
We say: Motherwell 1-2 Rangers
Both teams will be aiming to bounce back from defeats heading into this game, but Rangers are undoubtedly the favourites given their superior squad, and we expect the Gers to control the match and ultimately secure all three points here.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Ellis Stevens
