Rangers, looking to close the gap on the top two in the Scottish Premiership table, are set to welcome Kilmarnock to Ibrox Stadium on Wednesday evening.
The hosts are third in the standings with 26 points from 13 games, while the visitors are struggling in 10th place, with just 13 points from their opening 14 fixtures.
Match preview
After a challenging spell for Philippe Clement and Rangers, recent weeks have brought a much-needed turnaround, with improved performances and positive results lifting the spirits around Ibrox and signalling a change in fortunes.
Clement lost just one of his first 28 matches in charge of the Gers, but a dramatic collapse at the end of the 2023-24 season marked the start of a turbulent spell for his team, which saw them suffer 10 losses in the next 38 competitive outings.
That included Rangers making their worst start to a league season since their return back to the top flight in 2016-17, with the Gers already trailing Celtic by 11 points and Aberdeen by eight.
However, their fortunes seem to have turned in recent weeks, with Rangers securing four wins and two draws in their last six outings, marking their longest unbeaten run since February.
While Rangers still trail league leaders Celtic by 11 points, with the Bhoys on 37 points from 13 games and Rangers on 26, they do have the opportunity to close the gap on second-placed Aberdeen, who sit seven points ahead of the Gers but have played 14 matches.
Clement's outfit should be confident of securing the three points and closing the gap on Aberdeen here, with the Gers coming up against a Kilmarnock side that are 10th in the table and without a win in their last four outings, three defeats and one draw.
Kilmarnock, however, will take confidence from their 1-0 victory in the reverse fixture of this matchup in late October, where an 87th-minute goal from Marley Watkins secured all three points for Killie.
That has been one of the few highlights for Kilmarnock this season, as Derek McInnes's side continue to struggle in 10th place, having earned just 13 points from 14 matches, with three wins, four draws and seven defeats.
It has been an especially disappointing start to the campaign given Kilmarnock finished fourth in the Scottish Premiership last season, earning an opportunity to compete in the Europa League qualifying rounds at the beginning of this term.
McInnes's team fell at the first hurdle in their qualifying attempt, losing 1-0 on aggregate to Cercle Brugge, resigning them to the Conference League qualifiers, where they initially progressed past Tromso IL (3-2 on aggregate) before falling to Copenhagen (3-1) in the playoff round.
Kilmarnock suffered a similarly underwhelming start in the league, losing their first three and drawing the next three to leave them without a win in six consecutive Scottish Premiership matches.
Their form quickly improved in the following outings, beating Dundee (3-2), Rangers (1-0) and Hearts (2-1) in the span of four games, also losing 2-1 to Ross County, but they have once again fallen to a run of four matches without a victory, three losses and a draw.
That leaves them just a point above Hibernian in the relegation playoff spot and only three points clear of bottom-placed Hearts, although McInnes's side do have a game in hand on those around them.
Team News
Rangers are set to remain without Neraysho Kasanwirjo until the new year after the defender suffered a knee injury late last month, but they could be boosted by the return of Oscar Cortes, Rabbi Matondo and Tom Lawrence in the coming games.
Hamza Igamane has started in place of Cyriel Dessers in attack in the last two games, and Clement may choose to keep Igamane in the lineup after his two positive performances, including a brace against Nice in the Europa League.
Kyle Magennis and Stuart Findlay have both been ruled out for the visitors, with the latter not expected to make his return to action until late January due to an ankle injury.
Kilmarnock ended a run of three consecutive losses with a 1-1 draw against Dundee in their last outing, and a largely encouraging performance could result in McInnes naming the same team here.
Rangers possible starting lineup:
Butland; Tavernier, Souttar, Propper, Jefte; Barron, Raskin; Cerny, Hagi, Bajrami; Igamane
Kilmarnock possible starting lineup:
McCrorie; Wright, Mayo, Deas; Mackay-Steven, Lyons, Ndaba, Murray; Anderson; Watkins, Vassell
We say: Rangers 2-0 Kilmarnock
Rangers have been significantly improved in recent weeks, while they are also yet to be beaten at Ibrox Stadium in the league this season, leading us to believe they will secure a comfortable win here.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
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