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Scottish Premiership | Gameweek 28
Feb 28, 2024 at 7.45pm UK
Rugby Park
RL

Kilmarnock
1 - 2
Rangers

Armstrong (11' pen.)
Mayo (54'), Findlay (81'), Watson (88')
FT(HT: 1-0)
Tavernier (55'), Lawrence (59')
Barisic (34'), Goldson (44')

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

:Headline: Preview: Kilmarnock vs. Rangers - prediction, team news, lineups:
Sports Mole previews Wednesday's Scottish Premiership clash between Kilmarnock and Rangers, including predictions, team news and possible lineups.
Sports Mole

Rangers make the trip to Kilmarnock on Wednesday evening looking for the victory that would keep them at the top of the Scottish Premiership standings.

At a time when the visitors hold a two-point lead over Celtic, Kilmarnock currently sit in fourth spot as they bid to remain as best of the rest behind the top three.


Match preview

Having gotten their noses in front of Celtic for the first time in months, Rangers are now facing a different kind of pressure as they bid to reclaim the league title.

That said, the higher stakes were not felt on Saturday as Philippe Clement's side cruised to a 5-0 victory over third-placed Hearts, with the first three strikes coming before the break.

Rangers made light work of opponents who had previously pushed them on three occasions earlier in the campaign, and it extended their winning run in all competitions to nine matches.

With a Europa League tie against Benfica just around the corner, Clement will recognise the importance of maintaining their streak in the short term, the hope being that Celtic will again drop points.

The next Old Firm encounter does not come until April 7, with Rangers looking to head into that potentially-pivotal contest with an advantage, as opposed to recent times when Celtic have generally been top when those fixtures have taken place.

While Rangers head into this game having scored 11 goals across their last three fixtures, Kilmarnock have impressively lost just once in 14 matches.

That came against Rangers on January 2, Derek McInnes' side pushing their hosts at Ibrox before ultimately succumbing to a 3-1 scoreline.

Since that occasion, Kilmarnock have failed to score more than twice in a game across seven matches, yet just four goals have been conceded during that period.

Following on from their dramatic 1-1 draw at Celtic, Kilmarnock were able to overcome Aberdeen by a 2-0 scoreline at the weekend, ensuring that they remain two points ahead of fifth-placed St Mirren.

Kilmarnock Scottish Premiership form:


Kilmarnock form (all competitions):


Rangers Scottish Premiership form:


Rangers form (all competitions):



Team News

Barring any fitness issues, McInnes may opt to stick with the Kilmarnock XI from the win over Aberdeen.

All but one of his midfield and attacking players were substituted during the final 18 minutes to keep them as fresh as possible for this contest.

Although Clement was able to do similar with his Rangers side, it is unlikely to prevent the Belgian from continuing to rotate his players for this contest.

Borna Barisic may return at left-back after remaining as an unused substitute against Hearts, while Scott Wright and Fabio Silva are options in the final third.

With Todd Cantwell sidelined for a number of weeks, Clement may feel inclined not to risk Tom Lawrence from the start, nor Kemar Roofe after his return from injury, with Nicolas Raskin potentially being introduced and one of John Lundstram or Mohamed Diomande being used in a slightly-more advanced role.


Kilmarnock possible starting lineup:
Dennis; Wright, Mayo, Findlay, Ndaba; Armstrong, Donnelly, Polworth, Kennedy; Watkins, Vassell

Rangers possible starting lineup:
Butland; Tavernier, Goldson, Souttar, Barisic; Raskin, Lundstram; Wright, Diomande, Cortes; Dessers


We say: Kilmarnock 0-2 Rangers

Although Rangers made light work of Hearts at the weekend, we do not expect the same to materialise here. Nevertheless, such is Rangers' momentum that we still back them to get the job done, albeit with a more hard-working performance.


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




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Premier League Table
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
Championship Group
1Celtic000080265478
2RangersRangers000072234975
3Hearts101046341263
4Kilmarnock10104334952
5St Mirren00003843-543
6Dundee00004454-1041
Relegation Group
1Hibernian11004752-542
2Aberdeen11003649-1338
3Motherwell10014652-637
4St Johnstone10012549-2431
5Ross County10013258-2630
6Livingston11002459-3521
 
First Phase
1Celtic33246380265478
2RangersRangers33243672234975
3Hearts33195946341262
4Kilmarnock33131284334951
5St Mirren33127143843-543
6Dundee331011124454-1041
7Hibernian33912124451-739
8Motherwell33813124651-537
9Aberdeen33811143549-1435
10St Johnstone33710162446-2231
11Ross County3379173256-2430
12Livingston3339212259-3718
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