Rangers vs St Johnstone – News and Probable Lineups

Rangers will host St Johnstone at Ibrox Stadium for a match on Saturday afternoon as part of matchday 10 in the Scottish Premiership.

The home side currently sits in second place with 20 points after nine matches, while the visiting team occupies fifth place with 12 points collected from nine league games.

Match overview

Heading into Saturday’s match, Rangers are keen to get back to winning form after their impressive seven-match winning streak ended with a 2-2 draw against Dundee.

Prior to the draw, Rangers had celebrated six consecutive victories in the Scottish Premiership, including a 3-0 triumph over Celtic in the quarter-finals of the Scottish League Cup, which positioned them second in the table.

However, Derek McInnes’ squad could not achieve a seventh consecutive league win as they were held to a draw by Dundee; a 69th-minute equalizer from Callum Jones allowed the Dee to secure a point.

McInnes might feel frustration over his team’s missed opportunity to capitalize on creating 2.29xG in contrast to Dundee’s 1.82xG, as well as taking 21 shots to Dundee’s 10, an issue that has been a recurring theme for Rangers this season.

A total of five of Rangers’ six league victories this term have come by a narrow margin, with their tally of 13 goals in nine games illustrating their struggles, as this count is the lowest among the top four teams, a significant 10 goals behind league leaders Celtic.

As a result of not finishing their chances effectively, Rangers dropped points for the first time since their 2-1 defeat to Hibernian on matchday two, leaving them with just one point from their initial two league matches.

Nevertheless, McInnes and Rangers will approach this match with optimism, as the Gers have won all of their last six matches at Ibrox.

On the other side, St Johnstone has had their share of challenges while playing away, despite enjoying a solid start to the season.

The newly-promoted Saints, currently fifth in the table with 12 points from nine fixtures, have garnered only four points from their four away matches, featuring one victory, one draw, and two losses.

Their most recent away win did occur against Aberdeen, where Josh Fowler scored the only goal for a 1-0 victory, providing them with a much-needed confidence boost ahead of their challenging trip to Ibrox.

St Johnstone will aim to break their dismal record at Ibrox, as they have not managed to win in their last 12 visits to this stadium, last achieving victory with a 3-1 scoreline in December 2017.

Head coach Simo Valakari will look to leading scorer Josh Fowler to make a significant impact, as the striker currently tops the Scottish Premiership scoring charts with six goals, equal with Celtic’s Benjamin Nygren.

Team News

For Saturday’s encounter, Rangers will be without Cameron Devlin, Daisuke Yokota, Jose Cifuentes, Lawrence Shankland, Ross McCrorie, and Youssef Chermiti due to various injuries.

Ryan Don Naderi, who has netted four goals in his last five appearances in the Scottish Premiership, is likely to lead the attack for Rangers this weekend.

Meanwhile, St Johnstone has only one player sidelined due to injuries, as Zach Mitchell will miss out following a cruciate ligament injury.

Fowler, who is St Johnstone’s top scorer, is expected to spearhead the attack, supported by Taylor Steven, Joel Cotterill, and Sam Stanton in advanced midfield roles.

Rangers probable starting XI:

Pandur; Sterling, Fernandez, Makhanya, Penrice; Raskin, Neil; Bouanani, Kim, Gassama; Naderi

St Johnstone probable starting XI:

Steward; Smith, Finlayson, Diabate, Alic; McAlear, Holt; Stanton, Cotterill, Steven; Fowler

Rangers have an impressive recent history against St Johnstone and enter this fixture riding a six-match winning streak at home, leading to expectations of a win for the Gers.