Rangers vs St Mirren – Preview, Lineups, Score Prediction | OneFootball

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Rangers host St Mirren this evening, knowing that they need to put together a run of wins to keep the heat on Celtic and Hearts.

The Gers are all but out of the Europa League, managing only a single point so far, with six matchdays already concluded. Matches against Luodogorets and FC Porto remain before the league phase ends in January, but Rangers will need a whole host of results to go in their favour.

Though there has been an uptick in performances under Danny Rohl, this will be only the second time in seven seasons where Rangers will not feature in the knockout stages in Europe.

Domestically, the results have been more reflective of the effect Rohl has had on the side, with Rangers picking up seven wins and two draws, with just one defeat coming under his leadership. After managing only eight points from their first seven games, Rangers are now third, and just six points behind Celtic and nine behind Hearts

With both Celtic and Hearts displaying a propensity to drop points, Rohl has urged consistency from his side. The Old Firm clash is scheduled for the weekend and Rohl will want to avoid any hiccups going into that.

The game against St Mirren will be the final one for Rangers before the January transfer window opens, where Rohl hopes to identify and bring in the ‘right’ profile of players. Former top-flight attacker Tam McManus recently declared that there is no one in the Rangers squad that Rohl can truly rely on, and while the players will know that they cannot prove their reliablity over a single game, they will at least want to show that it is worthwhile for Rohl to keep them around the squad.

The celebrations will have barely died down at St Mirren, only two weeks removed from their stunning Scottish League Cup victory, as the saw off Celtic sensationally in the final and in the process claimed the trophy for only the second time in their history.

Fresh off their cup glory, the Buddies proceeded to beat Livingston before drawing against Kilmarnock, with the results against the basement clubs emblematic of St Mirren’s season and going some way to explain why they are languishing ninth in the league, wedged between Dundee and Dundee United.

St Mirren are unbeaten in their last four matches against Rangers, winning half of those games, and possess an identical record across their last four games in the league.

Nasser Djiga is on Africa Cup of Nations duty, while Oliver Antman, Nedim Bajrami, Derek Cornelius and Rabbi Matondo remain out for Rangers. St Mirren are expected to be without the injured Keanu Baccus.

Predicted Lineups

Recent Form (league)

Rangers: WLWWD St Mirren: DWWDL

Key Men

Rangers

James Tavernier, after nearly half a season played, is still Rangers’ top scorer. While it is also reflective of the state of the forwards at the club, it undoubtedly also shows the importance Tavernier still holds for the Gers. Tavernier will want to make further meaningful contributions.

Nicolas Raskin will have a point to prove, with former Scotland international Alan Rough claiming that Connor Barron has been better of the two. Raskin will want to prove his quality by taking the criticism constructively and showing his class on the pitch.

Connor Barron, for the very same reason, will want to keep putting in strong performances, wanting to prove that he is a worthy recipient of the praise.

St Mirren

Shamal George, the former Liverpool goalkeeper, who is on loan from Wycombe Wanderers, played a key role in the cup win over Celtic. George also pulled off a remarkable save from Aasgaard when the two sides met in August and will want to frustrate Rangers again.

Jonah Ayunga is yet to score after his cup heroics and will want to prove himself as a reliable goal-getter.

Declan John at 30 chances, only trails Tavernier who has created 36, and Alexandros Kyziridis with 45. John will be the key creative hub for the Buddies.

Match Prediction

Rangers, after a nightmare run under Russell Martin, have a realistic chance of salvaging their season, and how. A Scottish Premiership title will be considered a success under any circumstances, but one this season would be celebrated for years, given the start they had, and also because it would allow them to pull ahead of Celtic in the all-time charts, with both clubs at 55 titles currently.

Rohl will want to seal off the festive period with a strong showing, knowing that a feel-good atmosphere can really come in handy, with a game against Celtic, and the opening of the January window, to follow.

St Mirren are still struggling to get going in the league this season, something Rangers have rectified under Rohl, as they have found a way to churn out wins.

On top of that, Rangers have home advantage and Rohl’s side are likely to prevail, convincingly or otherwise.

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