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St Johnstone logo
Scottish Premiership | Gameweek 29
Mar 2, 2022 at 7.45pm UK
McDiarmid Park
Rangers logo

St Johnstone
0 - 1
Rangers


Hallberg (63')
FT(HT: 0-1)
Kamara (3')
Ughelumba (31')

Preview: St Johnstone vs. Rangers - prediction, team news, lineups

Sports Mole previews Wednesday's Scottish Premiership clash between St Johnstone and Rangers, including predictions, team news and possible lineups.

Rangers failed to capitalise on Celtic dropping points at the weekend, but they will continue to try and push to climb above the Hoops on Wednesday when they travel to play St Johnstone.

The hosts find themselves in the relegation zone right now, but a victory could place further pressure on Ross County, who they are seven points behind right now.


Match preview

St Johnstone manager Callum Davidson pictured on August 5, 2021© Reuters

St Johnstone are continuing to fight for their survival, being seven points adrift of safety right now, which places real pressure on each fixture that they play.

The Saints are also keeping one eye over their shoulder, as Dundee could overtake them if Callum Davidson's squad fail to win, and that is something they will be well aware of.

On Saturday St Johnstone lost a crucial relegation battle against Ross County, despite the fact that Callum Hendry had given his team the lead, but a brace from Regan Charles-Cook and a goal by Joseph Hungbo saw the Staggies take all three points.

Despite that, the Saints have been showcasing better form as of late, having only lost twice in their previous seven matches, and they shall be wanting that to continue in midweek.

However, the club have the worst home record in the league this season, having only won twice at McDiarmid Park throughout the campaign, which the squad will need to improve.

Rangers' Alfredo Morelos celebrates scoring their second goal with teammates on February 17, 2022© Reuters

Rangers will be heading into the match frustrated after they missed the chance to put real pressure on Celtic, who dropped points on Sunday as they also ended up drawing.

The Gers had taken a two-goal lead via Alfredo Morelos and Fashion Sakala, but they were unable to hold onto that as Motherwell fought back as Jordan Roberts and Kaiyne Woolery found the back of the net, forcing a draw.

This was a disappointing result for the defending champions, who have now drawn their previous two fixtures in the Scottish Premiership, which has allowed the Hoops to stay top of the table.

However, Rangers are undefeated in their previous seven matches across all competitions, and they will still be riding the momentum from knocking out Borussia Dortmund in the Europa Conference League.

The Gers have won both of the games against St Johnstone this season, scoring twice in each encounter, and that is something they shall be looking to extend.

St Johnstone Scottish Premiership form:
  • W
  • D
  • L
  • D
  • W
  • L

Rangers Scottish Premiership form:
  • D
  • L
  • W
  • W
  • D
  • D

Rangers form (all competitions):
  • W
  • W
  • W
  • D
  • D
  • D



Team News

Rangers manager Giovanni van Bronckhorst on February 2, 2022© Reuters

St Johnstone are dealing with a lot of injury problems right now, and will be without Shaun Rooney, David Wotherspoon, Chris Kane, Craig Bryson and Cameron MacPherson on Wednesday.

Elliot Parish also found himself in goal during the recent defeat against Ross County due to Zander Clark being unfit, and that could end up being the same situation.

Glen Kamara was brought into the Rangers starting lineup on Sunday, and he could retain his place in the team, while Sakala also got put back in, and considering he scored, the winger will also be an option.

John Lundstram found himself slotting into the back four in the draw against Motherwell, rather than playing in midfield, and that is a role that he might end up taking up again.

St Johnstone possible starting lineup:
Parish; Cleary, Gordon, McCart; Gallacher, Butterfield, Hallberg, Sang, Crawford; Middleton, Hendry

Rangers possible starting lineup:
McGregor; Tavernier, Goldson, Lundstram, Bassey; Arfield, Kamara, Aribo; Sakala, Kent, Morelos


SM words green background

We say: St Johnstone 0-2 Rangers

Rangers might have drawn their previous three matches, but they have a stronger squad and that quality should provide them with an edge to gain all three points on Wednesday.

St Johnstone are fighting for their survival in the league with each game, and they will no doubt make things tough for the Gers, but that may not be enough.



Top tip

Our expert tipster partners at Sporita.com are predicting an away win in this match. Click here to find out what else they are predicting for this game and for more of their tried-and-tested football tips.Away Win:data



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Written by
Matthew Wilkinson

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 70.56%. A draw had a probability of 19.5% and a win for St Johnstone had a probability of 9.92%.

The most likely scoreline for a Rangers win was 0-1 with a probability of 15.25%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 0-2 (15.1%) and 0-3 (9.97%). The likeliest drawn scoreline was 1-1 (8.9%), while for a St Johnstone win it was 1-0 (4.49%). The actual scoreline of 0-1 was predicted with a 15.3% likelihood. Our data analysis correctly predicted a 0-1 win for Rangers in this match and our team at Sports Mole correctly predicted the win for Rangers.


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Game History

How you voted: St Johnstone vs Rangers

St Johnstone
16.1%
Draw
12.9%
Rangers
71.0%
31
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Elliot Parish of Bristol City thanks the travelling fans after the Sky Bet League One match between Port Vale and Bristol City at Vale Park on October 05, 2013
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rhs 2.0
Today's games header
Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Celtic1514104444043
2Aberdeen16104230181234
3RangersRangers1510232791832
4Dundee UnitedDundee Utd156632215724
5Motherwell157171823-522
6Dundee165472729-219
7St Mirren165381926-718
8Ross County163671230-1815
9St Johnstone1642101829-1114
10Kilmarnock163581734-1714
11Hearts163491825-713
12Hibernian162681828-1012


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