THE last thing Rangers need after a traumatic weekend in the SPFL Premiership title race is a mud fight with Dundee on the dreadful Dens Park pitch.
Philippe Clement's side slumped to a shock 3-2 at Ross County on Sunday, busting the coupon of Slips Tips and countless others, and remain four points behind bitter rivals Celtic at the top.
All is not lost as Rangers still have a game in hand but this controversial clash with the Dark Blues is another potential banana skin ahead of the Premiership split.
This game has already been postponed twice due to a waterlogged pitch, and with more bad weather hitting Tayside this week there were fears it could bite the bullet again.
Getting this game played before the top-six fixtures was shaping up as a major headache for the SPFL, but Dundee made matters a bit easier by securing their spot in the top half on Saturday with a 0-0 draw at Aberdeen.
That means the game with Rangers could have been played further down the line but Dens Park passed a pitch inspection on Tuesday morning and it looks like the fallback plan to switch the match to St Johnstone's McDiarmid Park now won't be needed.
Having looked so impressive for most of the season under their new Belgian boss, the Ibrox side are stuttering at the worst time, with only two wins in their last seven games in all competitions.
They desperately need to rediscover some momentum, but if the Dens Park surface is finally deemed fit for purpose, it won't be easy on such a poor pitch.
How the bookies view it
Despite their poor recent form, Rangers remain heavy favourites at 2/9 with Bet365, who price a victory for the Dark Blues at 11/1. Even the draw is pretty hefty at 11/2 with the same firm.
Recent head-to-head
Rangers have won their last eight games against Dundee, including a 5-0 battering when they last came to Dens Park in November. The Dark Blues last beat the Ibrox giants in 2017, with Mark O'Hara's double sealing a 2-1 win at Dens.
Players to watch
Luke McCowan is in great form for Dundee, netting three times in his last four outings. He will fancy his chances against a Rangers defence that has been leaking goals and looks overpriced at 12/1 with Bet365 for anytime scorer.
The one positive for Rangers on Sunday was that Abdallah Sima played a full 90 minutes after a long spell out injured. The on-loan Brighton winger has been the most reliable forward for Clement this season and is 11/10 with Bet365 for anytime scorer.
Anything else catch the eye?
Before this fixture was called off last week, I tipped a Rangers win with under 3.5 goals but I'm revising that opinion after watching Clement's side concede three goals for the second game in a row. Combining BTTS with over 2.5 strikes looks better now, and that pays 122/100 in a McBookie bet builder.
If the match goes ahead at Dens Park, the teams will probably need to play more directly, which could lead to a few corners. Over 11 match flag kicks pay 11/10 with Bet365, who offer the same price on Rangers -4 in the corner handicap.
Since the introduction of VAR, both Rangers and Celtic have been winning many penalties, with teams under pressure from set-pieces often falling foul of the handball rules. McBookie priced another spot-kick in this game at 29/20.
This Scottish Premiership match between Dundee and Rangers will be played on Apr 17, 2024 and kick off at 20:00. Check below for our tipsters best Dundee vs Rangers prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
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