Rangers take on Aberdeen at Hampden on Saturday night in the first of the two Scottish League Cup semi-finals.
Rangers extended their unbeaten run to 10 matches on Wednesday night, as they scored a late equaliser to draw 2-2 at Tynecastle against third-placed Hearts.
Kevin Kelsey had given the Gers a first-half lead, but they required a late Olwethu Makhanya header to leave Gorgie with a point – meaning they remain four points behind leaders Celtic.
Derek McInnes’ side have already knocked out Premiership opposition in the previous two rounds, cruising past St Mirren (5-1) and bitter rivals Celtic (3-0).
Aberdeen have also knocked out Premiership opposition in each of the last two rounds, defeating Dundee 3-0 at Pittodrie before edging past Kilmarnock on penalties.
However, Stephen Robinson’s men come into this clash in poor domestic form, with their 0-1 loss at home to Falkirk in midweek being their third defeat from their last four matches.
That result leaves the Dons in ninth position, only three points clear of the bottom two.
How the bookies view it: Rangers favourites
As expected, Rangers come into this clash as favourites, with bet365 pricing a Gers win at 12/25 inside 90 minutes.
The Dons are 19/4 to win in regulation time, whilst the draw is trading at 10/3.
Head to head: Gers dominance
Rangers are unbeaten in each of their previous seven meetings with Aberdeen (W6-D1-L0), winning each of the last five.
The Teddy Bears also came out on top when the pair last met in this competition, with a James Tavernier strike settling the 2023/24 final.
Players to watch: Kevin to continue his goal-scoring form?
Kevin Kelsey continued his good form in front of goal in midweek, as he once again linked up well with fellow forward Ryan Naderi to give Rangers the lead at Tynecastle on Wednesday night.
The Venezuelan has now scored four goals across his last four appearances for the Teddy Bears – as well as a stunning strike against Celtic in the previous round – and appeals at 20/21 to get on the scoresheet once again on Saturday.
Backed a player to find the net? Check our Goalscorer Betting guide to see how the markets work and where to find value.
Predicted line-ups:
Rangers will once again be missing the injured Ross McCrorie, Cammy Devlin, Daisuke Yokota, Lawrence Shankland and Youssef Chermiti.
Aberdeen will be without the injured Lewis Mayo, Mats Knoester and Connor Roman, as well as Dan Happe through suspension, whilst Chris Cadden is a doubt.
Rangers: Pandur, Sterling, Fernandez, Makhanya, Penrice, Neil, Raskin, Kim, Bouanani, Naderi, Kelsy
Aberdeen: Muller, Devlin, Molloy, Tobers, Guinness-Walker, Lyons, Afeez, Smith, Armstrong, Olusanya, Nisbet
Anything else catch the eye?
A win at Pittodrie at the end of August seems to be the catalyst that has changed Rangers’ fortunes around this season following a disappointing start to the campaign.
Despite their draw at Tynecastle in midweek, Derek McInnes’ side are still unbeaten in each of their previous 10 matches in all competitions (W8-D2-L0), and should prove too strong for an out-of-form and injury-ravaged Dons side.
The Teddy Bears have fired in 15 goals across their last six matches – scoring on multiple occasions in five (83%) of them – and backing Rangers to Win & Over 1.5 Goals pays 4/5.
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