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

Two teams at opposite ends of the Scottish Premiership table will meet on Saturday when third-placed Rangers host Aberdeen, who currently sit in the relegation zone.

The visitors might be struggling in the league table, but they head into this game after progressing in the Scottish League Cup.

Match preview

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Rangers will be continuing their attempt to regain the Scottish Premiership this weekend, but the pressure is already on due to the fact they are trailing Celtic already.

The Gers sit four points behind Celtic while they are also below St Mirren in the league table, which is something that puts plenty of pressure on the team heading into these early season fixtures.

Michael Beale has managed to bring some consistency to his team as of late, though, as they head into this weekend on the back of four consecutive victories in all competitions.

Rangers have been impressive during that run, not conceding a single goal while managing to score eight themselves, with half of those netted in their most recent fixture.

The Gers blew Livingston away in the Scottish League Cup in midweek, and with three different goalscorers, and an own goal, it was an impressive performance that showcased the qualities.

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However, their opponents were also able to progress to the semi-final of the Scottish League Cup in midweek, as Aberdeen beat Ross County 2-1 away from home.

The Dons took an early lead through Graeme Shinnie, and Ester Sokler managed to secure the victory in the 80th minute, which should have injected some confidence into the team.

It marked a second victory in a row for Aberdeen as they also ran away with three points during their most recent SPL encounter as well, which also happened to be against Ross County, much like their Scottish League Cup match.

Aberdeen picked up a 4-0 win in that match after a brace by Bojan Miovski and goals from Duk and Jamie McGrath, and continuing that run is something that Barry Robson will be hoping his team can replicate.

The Dons could escape the relegation zone with another three points this weekend if other results go in their favor, providing the team with all the incentive they need.

Team News

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Rangers are currently dealing with a lengthy injury list with Rabbi Matondo having recently been added to hat as he has sustained a knee injury that will keep him out of action for around six weeks.

He will be spending time with Todd Cantwell, Nico Raskin, Kieran Dowell, Tom Lawrence, Kemar Roofe and Ridvan Yilmaz on the sidelines, with the Gers having a lot of issues at the moment in the fitness department.

Aberdeen also have an injury issue to deal with as James McGarry is out of action with a hamstring problem, and he was replaced by Jonny Hayes in midweek which should continue this time around.

However, after another impressive performance in the Scottish League Cup, it could be an unchanged XI for the Dons.

Rangers possible starting lineup:

Butland; Tavernier, Goldson, Davies, Barisic; Cifuentes, Lundstram, Jack; Sima, Lammers, Dessers

Aberdeen possible starting lineup:

Roos; Gartenmann, Rubezic, Jensen; Devlin, Barron, Shinnie, McGarry, McGrath; Miovski, Duk

We say: Rangers 2-0 Aberdeen

Aberdeen have put together some good performances as of late, but this weekend could prove to be a difficult fixture for them.

The hosts should have too much quality in this particular game, with Rangers being expected to walk away with three points.

For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.