MX23RW : Thursday, December 19 03:43:15| >> :600:12927380:12927380:
[monks data]
Annan Athletic
Scottish Cup | Fifth Round
Feb 12, 2022 at 5.30pm UK
Galabank
Rangers logo

Annan
0 - 3
Rangers


Clark (28')
FT(HT: 0-3)
Helander (7'), Roofe (22'), Sakala (32')
McCann (89')

Preview: Annan Athletic vs. Rangers - prediction, team news, lineups

Sports Mole previews Saturday's Scottish Cup clash between Annan Athletic and Rangers, including predictions, team news and possible lineups.

Annan Athletic will be hoping to provide a major Scottish Cup upset on Saturday when they host the defending Scottish Premiership champions Rangers at Galabank.

The Gers struggled after the turn of the year, and that saw them drop into second place within the league, but since then they have won consecutive games, and the squad will be wanting to continue that at the weekend.


Match preview

Celtic's Reo Hatate in action with Rangers' Joe Aribo, February 2, 2021© Reuters

Annan Athletic might be the underdogs heading into this match, but the squad have a lot more experience within the competition this season due to the fact that they entered in the second round.

The squad comfortably beat Jeanfield Swifts 3-1 at that stage, and they followed that up by defeating Gala Fairydean Rovers, but their fourth-round match was a much closer encounter.

It was a seven-goal thriller that brought them to this point, with extra-time goals from Robb McCartney and Iain Anderson ensuring they came from behind to win 4-3 in order to face Rangers.

Now they face their toughest challenge yet, but Peter Murphy's side have been performing well in the Scottish League Two this season, and they are in the mix for promotion, currently sitting in third place.

Annan have already gone much further than last season, having been knocked out in the second round previously, but the squad will be hoping to provide a major upset to earn their place in the quarter-finals.

Rangers manager Giovanni van Bronckhorst on February 2, 2022© Reuters

Rangers will also be wanting to be part of the final eight, as they were defeated at that stage in the competition last season by the eventual winners St Johnstone, via a penalty shootout. s

The Gers shall be keen to continue their recent form as the squad is looking to get their season back on track after a difficult start to 2022, which saw them drop down into second place following a loss to Celtic in the Scottish Premiership.

However, since that point Giovanni van Bronckhorst's men have been back to their dominant best, picking up consecutive victories where they have been strong both defensively and in the attack.

Allan McGregor has kept clean sheets in both of those games, while Rangers have found the back of the net seven times in that period, which included an emphatic 5-0 win against Hearts.

Their most recent outing saw the Gers earn three points by beating Hibernian 2-0 with James Tavernier and Alfredo Morelos getting on the scoresheet, and that is something they would like to replicate this time around.

Annan Athletic Scottish Cup form:
  • W
  • W
  • W

Annan Athletic form (all competitions):
  • D
  • W
  • D
  • W
  • D
  • L

Rangers Scottish Cup form:
  • W

Rangers form (all competitions):
  • W
  • W
  • D
  • L
  • W
  • W



Team News

Rangers manager Giovanni van Bronckhorst on November 25, 2021© Reuters

Michael Garrity recently returned to Annan Athletic on a loan deal until the end of the season, and after appearing from the bench at the weekend, the forward could be given further opportunities on Saturday.

Tommy Goss has been the main attacking threat for the club this season, scoring six times in the league, and he will be sure to start and look to impose himself on the visitors throughout the game.

For the visitors, there is a good chance that Rangers will look to rotate their squad this weekend in order to rest some of their regular first-team members ahead of their Europa League game next week.

Jon McLaughlin will likely be given an opportunity to start in goal, while the likes of John Lundstram and Cedric Itten could also be set for some game time.

This could also provide Van Bronckhorst with the perfect opportunity to give Aaron Ramsey his first start since joining the club during the January transfer window.

Annan Athletic possible starting lineup:
Fleming; Barnes, Douglas, Swinglehurst, Clark; Johnston, Hunter, Moxon, Wallace; Garrity, Goss

Rangers possible starting lineup:
McLaughlin; Tavernier, Goldson, Balogun, Simpson; Lundstram, Ramsey, Lowry; Sakala, Barker, Itten


SM words green background

We say: Annan Athletic 0-4 Rangers

Despite the fact that Annan Athletic are at home and have been impressive in this competition so far, facing Rangers could prove to be a step too far for the club.

The Gers will be the clear favourites heading into this match, and with the recent form they have displayed in front of goal, they should be able to progress comfortably.



Top tip

Our expert tipster partners at Sporita.com are predicting a draw in this match. Click here to find out what else they are predicting for this game and for more of their tried-and-tested football tips.Draw:data



ID:477730:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:collect9635:
Written by
Matthew Wilkinson

Data Analysis

Our analysis of all available data, including recent performances and player stats up until an hour before kickoff, suggested the most likely outcome of this match was a Rangers win with a probability of 88.95%. A draw had a probability of 8% and a win for Annan Athletic had a probability of 3.01%.

The most likely scoreline for a Rangers win was 0-3 with a probability of 13.45%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 0-2 (12.4%) and 0-4 (10.94%). The likeliest drawn scoreline was 1-1 (3.83%), while for an Annan Athletic win it was 1-0 (1.18%). The actual scoreline of 0-3 was predicted with a 13.5% likelihood. Our data analysis correctly predicted a 0-3 win for Rangers in this match and our team at Sports Mole correctly predicted the win for Rangers.


Previews by email

Click here to get Sports Mole's daily email of previews and predictions for every major game!


Game History

How you voted: Annan vs Rangers

Annan Athletic
Draw
Rangers
Annan Athletic
21.4%
Draw
0.0%
Rangers
78.6%
14
Collect / Create New Data
Share this article now:
 Norwich City manager Dean Smith inside the stadium before the match, January 9, 2022
Read Next:
Norwich City and Rangers interested in Martin Fraisl?
>
Sports Mole Logo
Enter your email address to subscribe to Sports Mole's free match previews newsletter! Updates are sent twice a week.
rhs 2.0
Today's games header
Tables header RHS


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the World Cup trophy after collecting the Golden Ball award on December 18, 2022Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!