Rangers will host struggling St Johnstone at Ibrox Stadium in the Scottish Premiership on Sunday evening, looking to bounce back from a dismal 4-1 defeat to Lyon last time out.
The hosts sit third in the standings on 13 points, from four wins, one draw and loss in their six league outings, while the visitors are 10th with four points, from one win, one draw and five losses in their seven games.
Match preview
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Since their impressive triumph in the Scottish Premiership for the first time since the 2010-11 season, when they achieved 102 points and an undefeated record in 2020-21, Rangers have struggled to replicate that success in the subsequent years.
Instead, the Gers have found themselves slowly slipping away from Celtic, finishing four points behind in 2021-22, seven behind in 2022-23 and eight behind in 2023-24.
Philippe Clement, who has been in charge since October 2023, would have been aiming to close the gap on Celtic this year, or even end their dominance, but a mixed start has them already trailing the Bhoys by five points.
After starting the campaign with just one win in their first four, Rangers have improved in their following games, winning six and losing two of their next eight.
Clement will be aiming to continue that form and also bounce back from a heavy 4-1 defeat to Lyon in their last outing when they take on St Johnstone on Sunday.
The Gers will be strong favourites for a victory given St Johnstone's struggles in recent fixtures, with the visitors heading into this one without a win in any of their last six.
The Saints have lost five and drawn one in that time, including a 6-0 loss to Celtic in their last outing, a run that has seen Craig Levein sacked and Andy Kirk take charge on an interim basis.
Simo Valakari, formerly of Riga FC, has been appointed ahead of their upcoming encounter with Rangers, and the new boss will be hoping for an immediate impact on his side with a positive result.
Team News
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The hosts will be without Danilo, Oscar Cortes, Rabbi Matondo and Ridvan Yilmaz for this match due to a variety of injury issues.
Elsewhere, a similar lineup to the one that secured a 1-0 victory against Hibernian could take the field here, although Cyriel Dessers is expected to return to the team in place of Hamza Igamane.
The visitors will remain without the services of both Uche Ikpeazu and Sam McClelland, though both are likely to return at some point this month.
With Sunday's game set to be the first under new boss Valakari, a number of changes are expected to the starting side, especially following a 6-0 defeat in their last outing.
Rangers possible starting lineup:
Butland; Tavernier, Souttar, Propper, Jefte; Raskin, Barron; Cerny, Lawrence, McCausland; Dessers
St Johnstone possible starting lineup:
Rae; Neilson, Sanders, Cameron; Wright, MacPherson, Essel, Smith, Raymond; Sidibeh, Mbunga-Kimpioka
We say: Rangers 4-1 St Johnstone
While St Johnstone may be boosted in their first game under the new boss, Rangers boast much more quality throughout their squad and should dominate the 90 minutes, suggesting a convincing win for the hosts.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Ellis Stevens
