Two teams at opposite ends of the table are set to come together on Sunday afternoon when title-hopefuls Rangers host relegation-threatened St Johnstone in the Scottish Premiership.
The hosts are second in the table with 41 points from their first 21 matches of the campaign, while the visitors are rock bottom of the standings with just 15 points from 22 outings.
Match preview
© Imago
Rangers came into the 2024-25 season aiming to secure their first Scottish Premiership league title since recording a remarkable 102-point unbeaten campaign in 2020-21.
However, after just 21 matches the Gers already find themselves a massive 15 points adrift of league leaders Celtic, largely due to a disappointing opening to the term.
Philippe Clement came under major fire for leading Rangers to their worst start to a Scottish Premiership season since their first back in the top flight in 2016-17, with the Gers managing only seven wins, two draws and three defeats from their first 12 matches.
Their fortunes did eventually turn as they won four successive matches, but things have taken a turn for the worse once again in the past weeks, having won just one of their last five.
While Rangers have excelled when playing at home, winning win and drawing one of their 10 home fixtures, their away record has been labelled as 'scandalous', with the Gers winning just three of their 11 league games on the road, alongside four draws and four losses.
Clement will be heading into this one hoping their impressive home form can continue with a much-needed victory against St Johnstone, with the pressure rising around the Belgian's role at the club.
A matchup with St Johnstone certainly leaves Rangers with a major chance to secure three points, with the visitors sitting rock bottom of the table with just 15 points from 22 games, eight points adrift of 11th-placed Hearts.
Former boss Craig Levein was sacked after leading the Saints to only one win from their first five league fixtures, with Andy Kirk managing just one draw and two losses during his interim time in charge.
Simo Valakari was announced as the new permanent manager, and after a dream start where he guided the Saints to back-to-back wins, St Johnstone have recorded only one win in the following 12 outings.
Already staring down the barrel of relegation just over halfway into the campaign, Valakari's men are in desperate need of three points and an improved run of results in the coming matches if they have any chance of survival this season.
History suggests a victory over Rangers is unlikely for St Johnstone though, with the Saints losing all of the last eight meetings with the Gers across all competitions.
Team News
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Rangers are set to be without a number of key players for this match due to injury, including Neraysho Kasanwirjo, John Souttar, James Tavernier, Tom Lawrence, Jack Butland, Leon Balogun and Dujon Sterling.
That leaves Clement with limited options to choose his starting side from, meaning the manager may opt to name the same team that started in their 1-1 draw with Dundee last time out.
Vaclav Cerny is one of the few players who has excelled for Rangers this season, and the winger continued his strong form by scoring his eighth goal of the campaign against Dundee, making him a key player for Rangers as they will likely look to him to make the difference again here.
As for St Johnstone, Valakari only has to contend with the unavailability of Uche Ikpeazu and Sam McClelland for this match, with both set to return from injury later this month.
Jason Holt could come back into the midfield alongside Sven Sprangler for this match after the midfielder served his suspension in their last outing against Dundee.
Rangers possible starting lineup:
Kelly; Yilmaz, Propper, Nsiala, Jefte; Barron, Diomande; Cerny, Bajrami, Hagi; Igamane
St Johnstone possible starting lineup:
Rae; Wright, Sanders, Mikulic, Raymond; Sprangler, Holt; Carey, Clark, Mbunga-Kimpioka; Sidibeh
We say: Rangers 3-0 St Johnstone
Rangers may be suffering a difficult time in recent matches, but the visitors are rock bottom of the table and have lost five of their last six, leading us to believe the hosts will comfortably win here.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Ellis Stevens
