Match Preview: Rangers v St Mirren (22nd Jan)

Match Preview: Rangers v St Mirren (22nd Jan)

Saints head to Ibrox tonight for our first Ladbrokes Premiership match of 2020.

FORM

St Mirren - WWLDDW

Rangers – WWWWWD

The Buddies come into tonight's match having beaten Broxburn Athletic 3-0 at the Simple Digital Arena in the William Hill Scottish Cup on Saturday.

Saints were made to work hard for the win but the Buddies dominance told in the second-half with Jon Obika scoring a double either side of a Danny Mullen strike.

Jim Goodwin's side closed out 2019 by defeating Kilmarnock 1-0 in their final league match of the year. Ilkay Durmus scored the game's only goal to keep Saints in 10th place. 

Indeed the Buddies have lost only one of their last five Ladbrokes Premiership matches - a 2-1 defeat to Celtic on Boxing Day.

Meanwhile, second-place Rangers have won their last four Ladbrokes Premiership matches defeating Celtic (2-1), Kilmarnock (1-0), Hibernian (3-0) and Motherwell (2-0). 

A win for Saints tonight could see them leap to eighth place in the league depending on results elsewhere, while Rangers would go top with a win should Celtic fail to beat Kilmarnock at Rugby Park.

PREVIOUS

Saints have already faced Rangers once this season, hosting the Ibrox side at the Simple Digital Arena in August 2019. 

A Borna Barisic free-kick on 59 minutes was enough to give Rangers a 1-0 win.

Saints were beaten on both trips to Ibrox last season with Rangers winning 2-0 in August 2018, before a 4-0 loss in February 2019 which saw Rangers awarded four penalties.

The Buddies last took a point off Rangers in May 2016 when Lewis Morgan's 90th minute equaliser snatched a 2-2 draw in Paisley. 

St Mirren's last point at Ibrox was in October 2011 when another last minute goal earned us a draw. Steven Thompson finished from close range in stoppage time to grab a 1-1 draw.

You have to go back to November 1991 for Saints' last win at Ibrox when Kevin McGowne scored the only goal in a 1-0 win.

TEAM NEWS

Kirk Broadfoot played 65 minutes for the St Mirren Reserves on Monday afternoon but is unlikely to be involved tonight.

Gary MacKenzie, Stephen McGinn and Kyle McAllister remain out. 

Rangers are without the suspended Alfredo Morelos while Greg Stewart and James Tavernier are also likely to miss out. 

MANAGER'S THOUGHTS

"Rangers have been playing very well and their fans are right behind them.

"We're going to have to be disciplined in our approach, we're going to have to be compact and deny them space. If we do all that side of the game properly then we believe we have got good players in the forward areas that can cause them problems. 

"We had opportunities against Rangers the last time we played them. The big thing in these games is that you maybe get two or three really good chances and you've got to be ruthless when they come along. 

"The most important thing for us is to go there with that belief that we can go and cause an upset. If we go about our business in the right manner and we're organised and that structure of the team is where it needs to be then I do believe we can get something from the game. 

"We'll have a few boys that will be going there for the first time and I think they'll be excited. It'll be a great experience for them."

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