The 2020-21 Scottish Premiership campaign will kick off on Saturday lunchtime as Aberdeen welcome Rangers to the Pittodrie Stadium.
The two clubs finished 22 points apart upon the curtailment of last season, with Rangers securing the runners-up spot while Aberdeen clinched fourth and a route into the Europa League.
Match preview
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The new season of Scottish football is kicking off with what promises to be a fascinating encounter between two of the country's most successful sides.
Aberdeen ended their 2019-20 campaign with a 3-1 victory over Hibernian before the decision was taken to end the season early, and Derek McInnes's men will undoubtedly be raring to go as they set their sights on a top-three finish this time around.
The Dons only finished one point behind third-placed Motherwell as the 2019-20 season was decided on a points-per-game basis, but Aberdeen's pre-season form has certainly left a lot to be desired heading into the visit of Rangers.
Indeed, McInnes witnessed his side share the spoils with Ross County and Hibernian either side of a 2-1 defeat to St Johnstone in July, and Aberdeen are welcoming Rangers to a ground where they have only managed to accumulate one league win from five in 2020.
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Meanwhile, the goal for Rangers this term is simple - find a way to stop Celtic from winning their 10th Scottish Premiership title in succession.
Steven Gerrard's men ought to feel capable of dethroning the Bhoys this time around, although Rangers finished the 2019-20 campaign 13 points behind the 51-time champions, albeit having played a game fewer.
The Gers have not been handed a friendly opening fixture, but a victory for Gerrard's side here would see them lay down a marker before Celtic take to the field against Hamilton on Sunday.
Rangers excelled in pre-season as they claimed the Veolia Cup with victories over Lyon and Nice, and the Gers followed up their triumph in France with wins over Motherwell and Coventry City upon their return to Ibrox.
The three meetings between Rangers and Aberdeen last season saw Gerrard's men subject the Dons to a 5-0 drubbing at Ibrox before the clubs played out 2-2 and 0-0 draws later on in the campaign.
Team News
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Aberdeen have been dealt a huge blow ahead of the new season, with prolific striker Sam Cosgrove facing a spell on the sidelines until December after sustaining a knee injury in the draw with Hibs.
Cosgrove netted 23 times for the Dons last term, but McInnes will have to make do without the 23-year-old for the next few months, meaning that 21-year-old Bruce Anderson could be handed a start following a strong pre-season.
Aberdeen's only other injury concern is defender Michael Devlin, although McInnes has also admitted that Shay Logan is also touch-and-go for the first game of the season.
Speculation has been rife surrounding the future of Rangers striker Alfredo Morelos, who is reportedly nearing a move to Lille, but the South American is expected to start here nonetheless.
With Jermain Defoe out after suffering a hamstring injury in pre-season, Gerrard will certainly be keen to bolster his options up top should Morelos depart Ibrox this summer.
Croatian defender Nikola Katic has undergone surgery on a cruciate ligament injury and is expected to remain on the treatment table until 2021.
Aberdeen possible starting lineup:
Lewis; Logan, Taylor, McKenna, Considine; Ojo, Ferguson, Bryson; McLennan, Anderson, Kennedy
Rangers possible starting lineup:
McGregor; Tavernier, Edmundson, Goldson, Barisic; Kamara, Jack; Hagi, Aribo, Kent; Morelos
We say: Aberdeen 1-2 Rangers
The absence of Cosgrove is sure to hamper Aberdeen's ambitions of a top-three finish this season, but the Dons are not to be taken lightly in any case. However, Rangers have hit the ground running in pre-season and we are backing Gerrard's men to claim all three points in the opening game of the 2020-21 campaign.
Ben Knapton
Data Analysis
Our analysis of all available data, including recent performances and player stats up until an hour before kickoff, suggested the most likely outcome of this match was a Rangers win with a probability of 46.37%. A win for Aberdeen had a probability of 27.64% and a draw had a probability of 26%.
The most likely scoreline for a Rangers win was 0-1 with a probability of 11.43%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 1-2 (9.15%) and 0-2 (8.46%). The likeliest Aberdeen win was 1-0 (8.34%), while for a drawn scoreline it was 1-1 (12.35%). The actual scoreline of 0-1 was predicted with an 11.4% likelihood. Our data analysis correctly predicted a 0-1 win for Rangers in this match.
