Rangers went into the international break in perfect fashion as they secured a 1-0 win over Celtic and, although they remain behind their arch rivals in the Scottish Premiership, a fifth successive victory means confidence is sky high at Ibrox.
That is not the situation at Kilmarnock, who find themselves at the bottom of the table with just one win from their seven matches and they have conceded at least three times in seven of their last nine games against the Gers, so they face a huge task to immediately improve their fortunes.
Rangers v Kilmarnock Tips Summary
Best Bet - Rangers to win to nil @ 5/6
Alternative Bet - Ryan Naderi to score first @ 7/2
Bet Builder - Under 3.5 goals, Djeidi Gassama to have three or more shots and Joe Hugill to be booked @ 11/1
Rangers v Kilmarnock Prediction
Best Bet: Rangers to win to nil @ 5/6
Rangers boss Derek McInnes will be delighted that things have settled down after an uncomfortable start to life at Ibrox following his move from Hearts, and the quality of his team’s defending has been particularly impressive.
The Gers take on Kilmarnock on Saturday and their opponents sit at the bottom of the Scottish Premiership table.
Killie have scored just two goals in their last five games and it is difficult to see them making much of an impression against the Gers, who have won their last three league games 1-0 against Motherwell, St Mirren and Celtic.
The Gers have conceded once in their last five league games and can come through this one while maintaining a clean sheet.
Alternative Bet: Ryan Naderi to score first @ 7/2
Rangers’ firepower has been affected by a hamstring injury to Lawrence Shankland, who made the move to Ibrox from Hearts alongside McInnes, but Czech international attacking midfielder Ryan Naderi has proved himself to be a key goal threat.
He has emerged as the man for the moment in the last few weeks, scoring against Jablonec from his home country in the Conference League and then the key goals in 1-0 wins over Motherwell and Celtic in the Premiership.
His confidence should be high as he returns from international duty and it would not be a surprise if he led from the front and set the Gers on the way with the opening goal of the contest.
Rangers v Kilmarnock Bet Builder Tip
Under 3.5 goals
Djeidi Gassama to have three or more shots
Joe Hugill to be booked
Pays @ 11/1
While Rangers have settled under McInnes and produced a strong run of results in the run-up to the international break, they have not been free-scoring.
Four of their five straight victories have been by a 1-0 scoreline and a 2-1 success against Falkirk has been the only occasion when they have scored more than once, so a goal glut seems unlikely despite Kilmarnock’s defensive issues, so under 3.5 goals appeals as the first element of a Bet Builder.
Rangers forward Djeidi Gassama has yet to open his goalscoring account for the season, but his only league appearances when he has failed to register at least three goal efforts were when he was a late substitute in the defeat to Hibernian and in the 1-0 win over Celtic last time out.
He should be looking to take chances against the Scottish Premiership’s weakest backline, while Killie midfielder Joe Hugill could pick up his third booking of the season after committing a foul in each of his seven league appearances.
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Key Match Stats
Rangers have won their last five Scottish Premiership matches
Five of Rangers’ last seven games have featured fewer than three goals
The Gers have kept a clean sheet in four of their last five league outings
Kilmarnock have scored just twice in their last five league matches
The visitors have the worst defensive record in this season’s Scottish Premiership, having conceded 15 goals in their seven matches
Killie have conceded at least three times in seven of their last nine encounters with Rangers
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This article was written by a partner sports writer via Spotlight Sports Group. All odds displayed on this page were correct at the time of writing and are subject to withdrawal or change at any time.
