Preview: Rangers vs Motherwell - prediction, team news, lineups

Rangers will welcome Motherwell to Ibrox Stadium on Saturday afternoon for a Scottish Premiership encounter.

The hosts are fifth in the standings with seven points from four games, while the visitors are third in the table with eight points from four league fixtures.

Match preview

Rangers endured a miserable start to the 2026-27 season under Derek McInnes, failing to win any of their opening four matches, including their elimination from the Europa League qualifiers.

The Gers eventually secured their first win under their new boss when they defeated St Mirren 5-1 in the Scottish League Cup, followed by a 1-0 win over Jablonec in the first leg of their Conference League playoff qualifying round tie.

However, a 1-0 second-leg defeat was followed by a devastating 4-3 penalty shootout loss, eliminating Rangers from any European competition in 2026-27.

McInnes was under increasing pressure following that result, but the manager has slowly started to ease the scrutiny with Rangers' last two results, securing back-to-back wins in the league.

Rangers have defeated Aberdeen 1-0 and Falkirk 2-1 in their last two games, leading the Gers to fifth in the standings, and they will be hoping to secure another win on Saturday and potentially close the gap on leaders Celtic, who boast a five-point lead over their rivals.

Motherwell will, however, be expected to prove a stern opposition for the Gers, with the Steelmen undefeated in the Scottish Premiership after four matches.

Alfred Johansson, who was appointed over the summer following Jens Berthel Askou's departure, has overseen two wins and two draws in the league, leaving Motherwell third in the table.

However, their form outside of the league has been disappointing, with Motherwell already eliminated from the Scottish League Cup after losing to Stenhousemuir in the second round, while they were also defeated 7-2 on aggregate by Freiburg in the Conference League playoff qualifying round.

Johansson's side have put those results behind them with a draw and win in their last two outings in the Scottish Premiership, and the manager will now be hoping his side can continue their unbeaten start to the campaign on Saturday.

Motherwell did win in their last visit to Ibrox in April, securing a 3-2 victory thanks to Emmanuel Longelo's 90th-minute winner, marking their third win the last five away matches against Rangers.

Rangers Scottish Premiership form:

Rangers form (all competitions):

Motherwell Scottish Premiership form:

Motherwell form (all competitions):

Team News

Tuur Rommens, Youssef Chermiti and Jose Cifuentes are unavailable for Rangers due to ongoing injury problems, while manager McInnes will be in the stands as he serves the final game in a two-match suspension.

Lawrence Shankland has scored all of Rangers' last three goals, leading them to back-to-back league victories, and the striker will be hoping to make the difference once again on Saturday afternoon.

Meanwhile, Motherwell are anticipated to be without Jordan McGhee, Callum Hendry and Paul McGinn due to ongoing injury issues, although all three are anticipated to return at some point this month.

Following the Steelmen's dominant 3-0 win against Dundee United last time out, Johansson could look to name an unchanged starting 11 against Rangers on Saturday.

Rangers possible starting lineup:

Pandur; Nedeljkovic, Fernandez, Makhanya, Penrice; Raskin, Devlin; Curtis, Kim, Gassama; Shankland

Motherwell possible starting lineup:

Paulsen; Sparrow, Knight-Lebel, Moorman, Longelo; Fadinger, Hodge; Maswanhise, Lowry; Kanga, Palmer-Houlden

We say: Rangers 2-2 Motherwell

Rangers will be boosted by their recent results in the league, but Motherwell have an impressive recent record at Ibrox and are unbeaten in the league this season, leading us to expect a tight clash that ends all square.

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