Rangers will look to bounce back from their quarter-final exit in the Europa League as they travel to Paisley to take on St Mirren on Saturday afternoon.
Rangers’ last chance of lifting silverware this season was ended last Thursday, as they were beaten 2-0 by Athletic Club in the quarter-finals of the Europa League.
In their last domestic outing, despite being two goals down and down to 10 men, The Teddy Bears managed to rescue a point in stoppage-time at Pittodrie on an afternoon our man Mark correctly backed The Dons to score twice.
Whilst that draw put an end to their five-match winning run away from home in the Premiership, they did extend their unbeaten record to nine on the road, with their last defeat coming at this very venue on Boxing Day.
St Mirren come into this clash in a buoyant mood, as their late and dramatic 3-2 victory over Ross County saw them leapfrog Hearts in the Premiership table and seal a historic third successive top-six finish.
That was also the first time this season they have recorded back-to-back victories at home in the Scottish top flight – thrashing Kilmarnock 5-1 before that win over The Staggies – and will be confident of shocking their Govan opponents once again.
How the bookies view it: Buddies backed to shock Gers once again
Rangers do head to Paisley as favourites, with BoyleSports pricing them at 3/4 to bounce back from their Europa League exit.
The same firm are pricing St Mirren at 11/4 to claim their third consecutive win over The Gers, whilst the draw is also 11/4.
Head to head: Three in-a-row for Saints?
After having previously drawn one and lost 13 of their last 14 meetings with Rangers, St Mirren come into this clash having won each of their previous two, including a stoppage-time win in Paisley on Boxing Day.
Players to watch: Boyd-Munce to bag again?
Caolan Boyd-Munce has scored four goals in his last four appearances for St Mirren and scored the stoppage-time winner in their last meeting with Rangers in Paisley.
Hamza Igamane scored his 11th Premiership goal of the season at Pittodrie last time out with a stunning left-foot strike and tends to score more when playing away from home.
Probable line-ups
St Mirren will be without their top-scorer this season, with Toyosi Olusanya heading to the MLS to sign for the Houston Dynamo.
Rangers have a bit of a defensive crisis, with Ridvan Yilmaz and Leon Balogun going of injured in their defeat in Bilbao, whilst Dijon Sterling and Neraysho Kasanwirjo are also out injured.
St Mirren: Hemming, Fraser, Gogic, Taylor, Alebiosu, Phillips, O’Hara, Boyd-Munce, John, Ayunga, Mandron
Rangers: Kelly, Tavernier, Propper, Souttar, Jefte, Barron, Raskin, Diomande, Cerny, Igamane, Dessers
Anything else catch the eye?
The Teddy Bears’ previous 11 Premiership matches on their travels have averaged a whopping 4.36 goals per game, with Over 2.5 Goals banking in 10 (91%) of them, whilst each of the last 10 have produced goals at both ends.
St Mirren’s opening 33 Premiership contests this season have averaged exactly three goals per game, with Over 2.5 Goals paying out in an impressive 23 (70%) of them.
What's more, The Buddies' last three at home have finished 3-2, 5-1 and 2-5, and backing a goal-heavy game is the way I’m keen to approach this one in Paisley on Saturday.
This Scottish Premiership match between St Mirren and Rangers will be played on and kick off at 15:00. Check below for our tipsters best St Mirren vs Rangers prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
GambleAware