Two teams at complete opposite ends of the SPL will compete against each other on Wednesday as league leaders Rangers host St Johnstone, who are at the foot of the table.
The Gers head into the fixture on the back of six consecutive games without a defeat, meanwhile their opponents have failed to win a game in their previous five outings.
Match preview
© Reuters
Rangers have been dominant from the start of the season, having only lost once in the league so far which is why they find themselves at the top of the table.
The club are aiming to retain their crown after winning the SPL during the 2020-21 campaign and while Steven Gerrard is no longer in charge, the Gers have remained just as strong.
Defensively, the team have been very impressive as of late with Allan McGregor having kept three consecutive clean sheets heading into this match.
Considering the fact that the visitors have not even hit double figures in terms of their goal output, the shot-stopper will no doubt be confident that he can continue that record.
Rangers defeated Hearts at the weekend in what was a battle between two of the top squads in the league with Alfredo Morelos and Joe Aribo scoring in the first 15 minutes to secure the 2-0 win quickly.
© Reuters
St Johnstone have struggled throughout the season and their defeat against Aberdeen at the weekend sunk them to the foot of the table, with their lack of firepower proving to be crucial in that factor.
It is only goal difference that separates them and Ross County at the moment, putting further pressure on the Saints to start finding the back of the net, especially since they have lost their previous three matches by tight margins.
Callum Davidson's men have lost 1-0 in their previous two encounters and it was heartbreak against the Dons due to the fact it took them until the 83rd minute to break the deadlock via Teddy Jenks.
There has been little for the Saints fans to cheer about throughout the campaign, with only one victory in their previous nine matches, which they will hope to change in midweek.
Davidson's men did take the lead the last time they faced Rangers, but they were unable to hang onto the result as the Gers ended up winning 2-1.
- W
- W
- W
- W
- W
- W
- W
- W
- W
- W
- D
- W
- D
- L
- D
- L
- L
- L
- W
- D
- L
- L
- L
- L
Team News
© Reuters
Rangers were once again without Ryan Jack at the weekend after he suffered a knock in training before their recent Europa League game and he is expected to miss Wednesday.
Kemar Roofe was also not used during the recent victory against Hearts and he is another concern when it comes to facing the Saints in midweek.
However, Morelos was fit again on Saturday and he found the back of the net in that game, with the experienced forward expected to lead the line again.
David Wotherspoon remains a long-term injury doubt for St Johnstone with his knee injury, while Stevie May and Cameron MacPherson both missed out recently with their own fitness issues.
Glenn Middleton did return on Saturday though, providing a shot in the arm to the attacking options at Davidson's disposal.
Rangers possible starting lineup:
McGregor; Tavernier, Goldson, Bassey, Barisic; Aribo, Kamara; Kent, Arfield, Sakala; Morelos
St Johnstone possible starting lineup:
Clark; Brown, Gordon, McCart; Rooney, Bryson, Craig, Booth, Crawford; Middleton, Kane
We say: Rangers 3-0 St Johnstone
Rangers are the strong favourites heading into this game due to the league positions of both teams and they will believe that they are able to secure three points on Wednesday.
With St Johnstone having struggled for goals all season and the Gers putting on some great defensive performances as of late, the squad will expect to get the win.
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 81.01%. A draw had a probability of 13.7% and a win for St Johnstone had a probability of 5.32%.
The most likely scoreline for a Rangers win was 2-0 with a probability of 16.19%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 1-0 (13.24%) and 3-0 (13.21%). The likeliest drawn scoreline was 1-1 (6.23%), while for a St Johnstone win it was 0-1 (2.54%). The actual scoreline of 2-0 was predicted with a 16.2% likelihood. Our data analysis correctly predicted a 2-0 win for Rangers in this match and our team at Sports Mole correctly predicted the win for Rangers.
