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Rangers will entertain Kilmarnock at the Ibrox Stadium in their first Scottish Premiership match of the year on Tuesday.
The hosts suffered their first league defeat since September on Saturday, losing 2-1 away to arch-rivals and league leaders Celtic. Captain James Tavernier scored the consolation goal for Rangers after they conceded a goal apiece in either half and Leon Balogun was sent off in the 71st minute. They now trail the reigning champions by eight points in the league table but have two games in hand.
The visitors head into the match on a six-game unbeaten run and were held to a 2-2 draw by Dundee on Friday. Late drama ensued as goals from Joe Wright and Rory McKenzie helped them overturn a one-goal deficit but Joe Shaughnessy bagged a last-gasp equalizer for Dundee.
Rangers vs Kilmarnock Head-to-Head and Key Numbers
- The two teams have a long-standing rivalry and have met 237 times in all competitions since 1899. As expected, the hosts have dominated proceedings against their southern rivals with 162 wins. The visitors have 34 wins to their name and 41 games have ended in draws.
- They last met in the campaign opener in August, with Kilmarnock registering a 1-0 home win. After suffering six consecutive defeats, it was their first triumph over the Glasgow-based hosts since 2020.
- Rangers are unbeaten in their last nine home meetings against the visitors, recording five wins on the trot. They have six clean sheets to their name in that period.
- The hosts have the best defensive record in the Premiership this season, conceding 10 goals, half as many as the visitors.
Rangers vs Kilmarnock Prediction
The Gers put up a strong fight against Celtic but ended up losing narrowly. They will look to bounce back with a win while also getting their year off to a winning start. They have registered five wins in a row at home, scoring 13 goals while conceding just twice. They have lost just 11 times at home against the visitors and are strong favorites.
Coming to the team news, head coach Philippe Clement remains without the services of Kemar Roofe, Ryan Jack, Nicolas Raskin, Steven Davis, Tom Lawrence, and Danilo Pereira. Left-back Borna Barisic and center-half Ben Davies also have some ailments and are unlikely to start here.
Killie signed off for 2023 on a six-game unbeaten run and will look to build on that form in this match. After going winless in their first seven away games of the league campaign, they have two wins in their last three away games. Interestingly, they have kept clean sheets in their last four away games.
They have won just three times in away meetings against the hosts in the 21st century. They have failed to score in four of their last five away meetings against the Glasgow giants and might struggle here.
Innes Cameron and Kyle Magennis continue to be the two absentees for head coach Derek McInnes through hamstring injuries.
While the visitors have seen an upturn in form recently, they have a poor record against the hosts. With that in mind and considering the home advantage for Rangers, we back them to eke out a narrow win.
Prediction: Rangers 2-1 Kilmarnock
Rangers vs Kilmarnock Betting Tips
Tip 1: Result - Rangers to win
Tip 2: Goals - Over/Under 2.5 Goals - Over 2.5 goals
Tip 3: At least a goal to be scored in the second half - Yes
Tip 4: James Tavernier to score or assist any time - Yes
