Kilmarnock vs Rangers
Time: UK 12.00, India: 5.30 pm (Sunday)
Venue: Rugby Park
Referee: Andrew Dallas
After an impressive outing in Europe on Thursday, Rangers turn their attention to the league where they are set to take on Kilmarnock away from home on Sunday.
This will be the second meeting of the season between the two outfits, with the last one taking place at Ibrox back in August. The league leaders won the match 2-0 and will be looking for a similar result on Sunday, in spite of being away from home.
Alex Dyer’s side are fifth on the Scottish Premiership table and are a whooping 18 points behind Rangers.
So, what can both sets of fans expect from their respective teams on Sunday? Without any further ado let us preview the fixture.
Kilmarnock vs Rangers: Recent form
Kilmarnock: L-W-L-L-W
Rangers: W-W-W-W-W
The home side’s last match was on the 24th of October when they were beaten 1-0 by Hibernian at home. Kilmarnock dominated possession but disappointingly, couldn’t manage even a single shot on target. A 27th-minute penalty converted by Kevin Nisbet was, therefore, enough to do the job for Jack Ross’s side.
Rangers, on the other hand, continued with their impressive run of form, beating Polish side Lech Poznan 1-0 at home to maintain their 100 per cent winning record in the Europa League.
The motivation, heading to the fixture will therefore be different for both sides as the Gers will look to continue their unbeaten start to the season, while the Killie will want to bounce back after last week’s loss.
Kilmarnock vs Rangers: Head-to-head record
Total matches: 86
Kilmarnock wins: 11
Rangers wins: 60
Draws: 15
The last meeting between the two sides took place at Ibrox on 22nd August, with Steven Gerrard’s side beating their opponents 2-0, courtesy of goals from Kemar Roofe and Ryan Kent.
The visitors showed resilience under pressure, keeping their mighty opponents at bay until the 50th minute before Roofe managed to break the deadlock. A second was added 27 minutes later by Kent.
Kilmarnock vs Rangers: Team news
Kilmarnock
Goalkeeper Jake Eastwood remains the only long-term injury concern for the hosts after surviving the coronavirus scare which forced the team to self-isolate last month.
Rangers
Things look good for the visitors as well in terms of injuries as Nikola Katic remains the only player to be sidelined for the match, missing due to a cruciate ligament injury.
However, the congestion of fixtures mean that Steven Gerrard might as well look to rotate his squad for the match.
Kilmarnock vs Rangers: Predicted line-up
Kilmarnock (4-3-3): Danny Rogers; Ross Millen, Kirk Broadfoot, Stuart Findlay, Calum Waters; Alan Power, Gary Dicker, Aaron Tshibola; Chris Burke, Nick Kabamba, Greg Kiltie
Rangers (4-2-3-1): Alan McGregor; James Tavernier, Leon Balogun, Connor Goldson, Borna Barisic; Steven Davis, Glen Kamara; Ryan Kent, Ianis Hagi, Scott Arfield; Alfredo Morelos
Kilmarnock vs Rangers: Where to watch
The match will be shown live on Sky Sports Football and Sky Sports Main Event. The Sky Go app will also be streaming it live.
Alternatively, fans can buy a Now TV sports pass to stream the match live for £9.99.
Kilmarnock vs Rangers: Prediction
The Gers remain favourites to win the fixture, in spite of Alex Dyer’s side showing signs of returning to form of late. Kilmarnock will take inspiration from the fact that they have won two of their last three league matches at home.
However, just the name of Rangers will make Dyer and his players nervy. The Gers are yet to lose a single match this season and there is no reason to believe that they will take the game casually in spite of having played a European match just three days earlier.
Kilmarnock vs Rangers predicted scoreline: 0-2
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