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St. Johnstone welcome Rangers to McDiarmid Park in Scottish Premiership second phase action on Wednesday.
The visitors were crowned the 2020-21 campaign champions in March and are currently 20 points above second-placed Celtic in the standings. They won the first game of the second phase 2-1 against Hibernian at the Ibrox Stadium last week.
More recently, they recorded a 2-0 win over fierce rivals Celtic in the Scottish Cup fourth round fixture on Sunday.
The hosts lost their previous league game against Aberdeen at home but returned to winning ways against Clyde in the Scottish Cup fixture. Following their win, they have set a date with Rangers for the quarter-finals this Saturday.
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St. Johnstone vs Rangers Head-to-Head
The two sides have faced each other 29 times across all competitions since 2009. Rangers have been the dominant side in these meetings, having recorded 21 wins over the Saints.
The hosts are winless against the Glasgow giants in their last nine attempts and have failed to score in their last three outings. They have just three wins to their name while five games have ended in draws.
Rangers have won all three of their encounters this term, in which St. Johnstone have failed to score. In their latest encounter, which came in February at the Ibrox Stadium, the visitors recorded a 1-0 win.
St. Johnstone form guide across all competitions: W-L-W-W-W
Rangers form guide across all competitions: W-W-W-D-L
St. Johnstone vs Rangers Team News
St. Johnstone
Murray Davidson is the only injury concern for this game. The midfielder is recovering from a calf injury and is not expected back until next month.
Craig Conway picked up a slight knock and injured his nose. Callum Davidson has suggested the player should be back in the squad after missing the cup tie on Saturday.
Injured: Murray Davidson
Doubtful: Craig Conway
Suspended: None
Rangers
Steven Gerrard confirmed last week that midfielder Ryan Jack has been ruled out for the rest of the season on account of a calf injury. He joins Nikola Katic on the sidelines, as the Croatian was also ruled out for the season due to an ACL injury.
Injured: Ryan Jack, Nikola Katic
Doubtful: None
Suspended: None
St. Johnstone vs Rangers Predicted XI
St. Johnstone Predicted XI (3-4-2-1): Zander Clark; Jamie McCart, Liam Gordon, Jason Kerr; Scott Tanser, Alistair McCain, Liam Craig, Shaun Rooney; David Wotherspoon, Guy Melamed; Christopher Kane
Rangers Predicted XI (4-4-2): Allan McGregor; Nathan Patterson, Connor Goldson, Leon Balogun, Borna Barisic; Steven Davis, Glen Kamara, Joe Aribo, Ianis Hagi; Alfredo Morelos, Ryan Kent
St. Johnstone vs Rangers Prediction
The Gers haven't lost a single game in the league this term. They have conceded just 11 goals in 34 games.
The hosts have scored seven goals in their last seven games. Their lack of effectiveness in the final third might prove to be their undoing against the rampant visitors.
Prediction: St. Johnstone 0-2 Rangers
