Preview: St Mirren vs Rangers - prediction, team news, lineups

St Mirren and Rangers will clash at the SMISA Stadium in the Scottish Premiership on Sunday.

The hosts are 10th in the table with 24 points from 29 games, while the visitors are third with 57 points from 29 fixtures.

Match preview

St Mirren have endured a difficult Scottish Premiership campaign, with Stephen Robinson's side already confirmed to miss out on a top-half finish for the first time since 2021-22.

The Saints started the campaign in encouraging fashion, narrowly losing 1-0 to Celtic after a late Luke McCowan winner on the opening day, followed by three draws and two losses in their next five.

However, a difficult period followed, with the Saints failing to win any of their next eight league fixtures, suffering six defeats and managing only two draws.

A slight upturn in form in December saw St Mirren win two and draw two league matches, sandwiched around a sensational 3-1 triumph over Celtic to lift the Scottish League Cup final - marking their first trophy in 12 years.

St Mirren's fortunes quickly took another turn for the worse, winning just one of their next 12 league matches, leaving them 10th in the Scottish Premiership standings and only three points above the drop zone.

Despite their difficulties in the league, St Mirren have performed in the cups, including booking their place in the Scottish FA Cup semi-final with a win against Partick Thistle last time out.

Looking to build on that victory to both boost their survival hopes and carry winning momentum into their semi-final against Celtic on Wednesday, Robinson will be hoping his side can overcome Rangers for the first time since February 2025.

Rangers head into this clash in far from formidable form, having won just one of their last five matches alongside four draws - one of which they went on to lose on penalties to Celtic in the Scottish FA Cup quarter-finals.

The Gers will be desperate to end that streak and put together a winning run heading into the post-split Scottish Premiership, with Danny Rohl's side trailing league leaders Hearts by six points.

Although Rangers have struggled for victories in recent games, Rohl does have a fantastic record in the league since joining the club in October 2025.

The German took charge after Russell Martin's disastrous start to the term, which saw Rangers win just one of their opening eight league games.

However, Rohl immediately improved Rangers' league form, guiding the Gers to 14 wins, six draws and suffering just one defeat in 21 league games, quickly leading them into the title race.

Rangers were victorious the last time these two sides met in December 2025, but they have failed to win at the SMISA Stadium in their last three meetings, with two draws and one loss.

St Mirren Scottish Premiership form:

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St Mirren form (all competitions):

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Rangers Scottish Premiership form:

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Rangers form (all competitions):

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Team News

St Mirren will be without Malik Dijksteel and Jonah Ayunga due to injury issues, while Marcus Fraser may be a doubt after coming off in the first-half of their win against Partick Thistle last time out.

Richard King could replace Fraser in defence alongside Alexander Gogic and Miguel Freckleton, while the rest of the side that started in last weekend's win could remain the same.

Meanwhile, Rangers will be without Connor Barron, Bailey Rice and Derek Cornelius due to injury problems.

After suffering the penalty loss following the 0-0 draw to Celtic last time out, Rohl could look to make changes on Sunday, meaning the likes of Djeidi Gassama and James Tavernier could start.

St Mirren possible starting lineup:

George; King, Gogic, Freckleton; Richardson, Phillips, Baccus, O'Hara, John; Young, N'Lundulu

Rangers possible starting lineup:

Butland; Tavernier, Souttar, Fernandez, Rommens; Gassama, Raskin, Diomande, Moore; Naderi, Chermiti

We say: St Mirren 1-2 Rangers

Rangers may have struggled at this ground in recent meetings, while they are at far from their best coming into the game, but the Gers should still prevail against an underperforming St Mirren side.

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