Rangers vs St Mirren – News and Probable Lineups

Rangers are set to host current champions St Mirren at Ibrox Stadium this Sunday afternoon for a clash in the second round of the Scottish League Cup.

The home side is still seeking their first victory of the 2026-27 season, while their opponents come into the match with two consecutive wins under their belt.

Match overview

Rangers entered the 2026-27 season with optimism after the appointment of head coach Derek McInnes, who was previously at Hearts, a team that narrowly missed securing a historic Scottish Premiership title last season.

With the supplementary signings of Lawrence Shankland, Dan Neil, Cameron Devlin, and several more, Rangers appeared to be in a strong position as they approached the new season.

Sadly for the Gers, their start has been anything but successful, having yet to win any of their initial four competitive bouts across all tournaments.

They have managed one draw and one loss in their two Scottish Premiership encounters, and they faced an unexpected exit from the Europa League qualifiers, losing to Jagiellonia Bialystok with an aggregate score of 3-2.

Motivated to secure their first competitive victory under McInnes and kickstart their season, Rangers will be eager in their approach to this Scottish League Cup tie at home.

Conversely, St Mirren will aim to make the encounter challenging for their hosts, and they appear to be the team in better form ahead of this matchup.

St Mirren have remarkably achieved five wins and suffered only one defeat in their first six games of the 2026-27 season, netting 15 goals and conceding a mere four during this impressive run.

Craig McLeish’s squad has not yet faced top-tier opponents in any of their six matches within the Scottish League Cup and Scottish Premiership, making Sunday their toughest challenge to date.

Although the Saints must overcome a poor recent record against Rangers, having lost their last two encounters, they can draw confidence from their stunning Scottish League Cup victory last year.

The reigning champions notably triumphed over Hearts, Kilmarnock, Motherwell, and Celtic in their journey to lift the Scottish League Cup last season, and they are keen to take another step closer to defending their title this year.

Team News

For this fixture, Rangers will be without Youssef Chermiti, Jose Cifuentes, and Ben Godfrey due to ongoing injuries, while Thelo Aasgaard remains a doubt after leaving the field at halftime in midweek.

Captain Shankland found the net for the first time in a competitive match for Rangers in midweek, and the forward will be aiming to guide the Gers to their first win of the season on Sunday.

St Mirren, on their part, will be missing Jonah Ayunga, Keanu Baccus, and Ryan Mullen due to injuries, while there are doubts over Marcus Fraser’s availability.

With two consecutive victories under their belt, McLeish may choose to field a largely unchanged lineup, though Liam Donnelly is likely to come in for Fraser in defense.

Rangers probable starting XI

Pandur; Sterling, Fernandez, Makhanya, Rommens; Yokota, Neil, Devlin, Curtis; Shankland, Naderi

St Mirren probable starting XI

Chapman; Richardson, Donnelly, Gogic, John; Carr, Nsio; Ramos, Phillips, Mochrie; Sule

Although Rangers may be in the midst of a difficult start to their season, and the defending champions St Mirren likely bring confidence from their positive beginning, the Gers are still anticipated to be the stronger side on paper and are expected to secure a win.