Rangers head into Wednesday's Scottish Premiership clash at home against Ross County on the cusp of reluctantly handing over their title to Old Firm rivals Celtic.
The Gers need to claim maximum points at Ibrox and hope that the Hoops lose to Dundee United if they are to keep their slim chances of retaining the title alive.
Match preview
While Rangers enjoyed a remarkable invincible Premiership campaign last year, they have failed to replicate their league success this term and currently sit 13 points worse off than at this stage last season.
The Glaswegian giants have dropped points in 11 league games this season, drawing eight times and losing three, including two defeats to Celtic, but they were able to claim their 25th victory of the campaign when they won 2-0 at home to Dundee United last weekend.
After a frustrating goalless first half, the Gers were awarded a penalty in the 55th minute when Fashion Sakala was brought down by Benjamin Siegrist, with James Tavernier stepping up to convert the resulting spot kick. Amad Diallo then came off the bench to score 12 minutes from time to seal all three points.
While the title is almost certain to return to Parkhead this term, Giovanni van Bronckhorst will be keen for his side to build momentum in their final two league fixtures before preparing for the Europa League final and Scottish Cup final later this month.
Rangers will fancy their chances of success on Wednesday as they have never lost to Ross County in the Premiership, winning 11 times and drawing four of their 15 meetings.
Ross County extended their winless league run to three matches when they suffered a 1-0 defeat at home against Motherwell last weekend.
The games was goalless until the 68th minute when a soft penalty was awarded in the Steelmen's favour after Alex Iacovitti was deemed to have fouled Kevin van Veen. The latter stepped up to convert the resulting spot kick and condemn the Staggies to their 15th league defeat of the campaign.
Malkay Mackay's men remain in the hunt for a top-four finish, but that result has seen them slip to sixth place in the table, three points behind Motherwell in fourth.
Ross County head into Wednesday's fixture having lost each of their last five league visits to Rangers, conceding at least twice in each defeat and shipping 15 goals in total.
The Staggies have, however, kept clean sheets in their last two away league games and will take confidence from the 3-3 home drawn against the Gers in January, a game which saw Matthew Wright score a dramatic 96th-minute equaliser.
- W
- L
- W
- W
- D
- W
- W
- W
- L
- D
- W
- W
- L
- D
- W
- L
- D
- L
Team News
Van Bronckhorst opted to rotate his side last weekend, following their Europa League semi-final victory over RB Leipzig, but the Dutchman may decide to recall some of his first-team regulars on Wednesday.
Midfielder Joe Aribo missed the win over Dundee United due to concussion, which he sustained against Leipzig, and the Nigerian is expected to remain sidelined in midweek.
Aaron Ramsey played for 79 minutes last time out after recovering from a hamstring issue, and the Welshman could be joined in centre-midfield by Glen Kamara and John Lundstram.
Kemar Roofe is unlikely to be rushed back for this fixture, with the striker still recovering from a knee injury, so Sakala could lead the line again in attack.
As for Ross County, goalkeeper Ashley Maynard-Brewer is ruled out for the rest of the season with a broken nose, so Ross Laidlaw is set to start again between the sticks.
Striker Jordan White has failed to score in each of his last 13 league appearances, but he has netted two of his four goals this season against Rangers and is expected to lead the line in attack on Wednesday.
Top scorer Regan Charles-Cook, who has been named in the Premiership Team of the Season, is set to operate on the left flank, while Ross Callaghan and Blair Spittal could also start in advanced roles in behind White.
Rangers possible starting lineup:
McGregor; Tavernier, Goldson, King, Barisic; Kamara, Lundstram, Ramsey; Arfield, Sakala, Diallo
Ross County possible starting lineup:
Laidlaw; Randall, Baldwin, Iacovitti, Vokins; Tillson, Paton; Spittal, Callachan, Charles-Cook; White
We say: Rangers 2-0 Ross County
Rangers are sure to have one eye on the two finals they have coming up later this month, but they will still be motivated to end the league season on a positive note, starting with victory over Ross County.
The Staggies managed to claim a point in the last meeting between the two sides, but we can only see the Gers coming away with all three points on Wednesday.
Data Analysis
Our analysis of all available data, including recent performances and player stats, suggests the most likely outcome of this match is a Rangers win with a probability of 82.73%. A draw has a probability of 12.3% and a win for Ross County has a probability of 4.98%.
The most likely scoreline for a Rangers win is 2-0 with a probability of 15%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome are 3-0 (13.19%) and 1-0 (11.36%). The likeliest drawn scoreline is 1-1 (5.75%), while for a Ross County win it is 0-1 (2.18%).
Top tip
body check tags ::
Previews by email
