Rangers, aiming to bounce back from their Scottish League Cup final penalty defeat to Celtic, are set to host Dundee at Ibrox Stadium on Saturday afternoon in the Scottish Premiership.
The hosts are third in the league with 32 points from 15 outings, just two points behind second-placed Aberdeen, while the visitors are seventh in the table with 19 points from their first 16 games.
Match preview
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Rangers kicked off their 2024-25 campaign with just one win from their opening four matches across all competitions, a record that set the tone for a tumultuous start to the season for the Gers.
They had recorded their worst start to a Scottish Premiership season since their 2016-17 return to the top flight after 12 matches, having won seven, drawn two and lost three.
However, the Gers have significantly improved in recent weeks, remaining unbeaten in nine consecutive matches across all competitions before heartbreakingly losing 5-4 on penalties to Celtic after a 3-3 draw in the Scottish League Cup final last time out.
Philippe Clement will be hoping his side can instantly rebound from that defeat with a win against Dundee as he aims to close the gap on Celtic, which currently stands at 11 points, while three points could see them move into second depending on Aberdeen's result.
History suggests Clement and Rangers should be confident of securing maximum points on Saturday, given they have defeated Dundee in all of the last 11 meetings at Ibrox Stadium.
Dundee are also heading into this game having not played since a disappointing 2-0 defeat to Hearts on December 7, which brought an end to a three-game unbeaten streak, after their game against Celtic was postponed due to the Scottish League Cup final.
The Dee initially had a superb start to the campaign as they won six and drew three of their first nine matches across all competitions, but then endured a tough spell, going on to suffer seven defeats in the space of the following nine matches, winning the remaining two.
Tony Docherty's side seemed to have ended their slump with a 4-1 victory over Hibernian, followed by another 4-1 win against Motherwell and a 1-1 draw with Kilmarnock in between, but the defeat to Hearts brought that promising run to a crushing halt.
Dundee will be hoping that the defeat does not trigger another difficult run of results, but they do enter this match as major underdogs, especially considering they have managed just one win from eight away league games this season.
Team News
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Rabbi Matondo (hamstring) and Tom Lawrence (knock) are unlikely to feature here due to injuries but should return in the coming weeks, while Neraysho Kasanwirjo (knee) is unlikely to return until the new year.
Despite falling to a devastating penalty defeat to Celtic in the Scottish League Cup, Clement will likely be pleased by his side's performance in the 3-3 draw, meaning Rangers could field a similar side here.
As for Dundee, Joe Shaughnessy has been out since April with a long-term knee injury but is likely to return later this month, while Ziyad Larkeche is also anticipated to return from a hamstring injury in the coming weeks.
Having enjoyed a two-week break since their last match, Docherty would have had plenty of time to address the issues that led to their disappointing loss to Hearts, meaning he may name a similar lineup in search of an improved performance here.
Rangers possible starting lineup:
Butland; Tavernier, Balogun, Propper, Jefte; Diomande, Raskin; Cerny, Bajrami, Hagi; Igamane
Dundee possible starting lineup:
McCracken; Astley, Portales, Koumetio; Mulligan, McGhee, Sylla, Robertson; Cameron, Adewumi; Palmer-Houlden
We say: Rangers 2-0 Dundee
Outside of the defeat to Celtic, Rangers have been significantly improved in recent weeks, and given their immense home record against Dundee, winning all of their last 11 meetings at Ibrox Stadium, we expect the hosts to win here.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Ellis Stevens
