Preview: Dundee vs. Rangers - prediction, team news, lineups

Two teams at opposite ends of the Scottish Premiership table will meet on Sunday as Rangers travel to Dundee as they look to continue pushing Celtic for the title.

Meanwhile, down at the bottom, the Dark Blues are rapidly running out of time in order to survive in the top flight, as they aim to get revenge on the Gers for the recent cup defeat.

Match preview

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Dundee find themselves bottom of the league right now, with nine points separating them and complete safety, meaning the squad would need to win all of their remaining games to survive.

However, they are only a single point behind St Johnstone in the relegation playoff place, which would give them a second chance at staying in the top flight.

The Dark Blues face a tough test this weekend against Rangers, who they played last weekend in the Scottish Cup, but Mark McGhee's team were defeated 3-0 in that match, with goals from Connor Goldson, James Tavernier and Fashion Sakala.

It marked the sixth game in a row that they were unable to secure a victory, which is something that Dundee would need to improve upon this Sunday.

The club have only scored once in their five previous outings, which has been one of the biggest problems that the squad have had, which will be tough to change against a team with the second-best defensive record in the division.

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However, that was not on display in midweek when Rangers suffered a loss against Crvena Zvezda in the Europa Conference League, where a 93rd-minute penalty led to a 2-1 result.

However, the Ryan Kent goal proved to be an important one, with the Gers winning 4-2 overall, which allowed the club to progress, keeping their hopes of an impressive treble alive.

Giovanni van Bronckhorst's team remain in the European competition, the Scottish Cup, and they continue to push Celtic within the title race this season, which remains to be a closely contested one.

Just three points separate Rangers and Celtic right now, which is a gap they are frantically working to shrink, and the next opportunity comes against Dundee, who they have beaten three times this season.

The Gers have scored seven goals across those matches, while conceding none, which is an impressive record that Van Bronckhorst will no double want to continue here.

With their next game being the crucial Old Firm derby, there is a lot on the line to ensure that the fixture is a title decider, but considering the fact this could go down to goal difference, that is something the team will be wary of this time out.

Team News

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Zak Rudden is no longer cup-tied for this match, which means he will be able to feature, which was not the case during Dundee's most recent game, and that should lead to him accompanying Danny Mullen upfront.

Charlie Adam is set to be assessed late before the match in order to determine if he will start, but Lee Ashcroft recently returned from his illness, while Niall McGinn also came back last weekend.

Ianis Hagi and Nnamdi Ofoborh remain fitness concerns for Rangers, and both men are set to miss out this Sunday, although Aaron Ramsey could be fit enough to start this time around.

Tavernier will look to provide attacking options from the full-back position, as he has done all season, while Alfredo Morelos is set to lead the line alone.

Dundee possible starting lineup:

Sharp; Kerr, Ashcroft, Sweeney, Marshall; McMullan, Anderson, McGhee, McGinn; Rudden, Mullen

Rangers possible starting lineup:

McGregor; Tavernier, Goldson, Balogun, Bassey; Jack, Lundstram, Aribo, Kamara, Kent; Morelos

We say: Dundee 0-4 Rangers

Both teams are heading into this match with a real need for points, but for contrasting reasons, and while that could lead to a close game, the chances are that Rangers will have too much in this one.

The Gers could need a strong goal difference in order to win the title, due to how close things are with Celtic, which could lead to an attacking masterclass.