Preview: Kilmarnock vs. Rangers - prediction, team news, lineups

At a time when the visitors hold a two-point lead over Celtic, Kilmarnock currently sit in fourth spot as they bid to remain as best of the rest behind the top three.

Match preview

Having gotten their noses in front of Celtic for the first time in months, Rangers are now facing a different kind of pressure as they bid to reclaim the league title.

That said, the higher stakes were not felt on Saturday as Philippe Clement's side cruised to a 5-0 victory over third-placed Hearts, the first three strikes coming before the break.

Rangers made light work of opponents who had previously pushed them on three occasions earlier in the campaign, and it extended their winning run in all competitions to nine matches.

With a Europa League tie against Benfica just around the corner, Clement will recognise the importance of maintaining their streak in the short term, the hope being that Celtic will again drop points.

The next Old Firm encounter does not come until April 7, with Rangers looking to head into that potentially-pivotal contest with an advantage, as opposed to recent times when Celtic have generally been top when those fixtures have taken place.

While Rangers head into this game having scored 11 goals across their last three fixtures, Kilmarnock have impressively lost just once in 14 matches.

That came against Rangers on January 2, Derek McInnes' side pushing their hosts at Ibrox before ultimately succumbing to a 3-1 scoreline.

Since that occasion, Kilmarnock have failed to score more than twice in a game across seven matches, yet just four goals have been conceded during that period.

Following on from their dramatic 1-1 draw at Celtic, Kilmarnock were able to overcome Aberdeen by a 2-0 scoreline at the weekend, ensuring that they remain two points ahead of fifth-placed St Mirren.

Kilmarnock Scottish Premiership form:

L

D

D

W

D

W

Kilmarnock form (all competitions):

D

D

W

W

D

W

Rangers Scottish Premiership form:

W

W

W

W

W

W

Rangers form (all competitions):

W

W

W

W

W

W

Team News

Barring any fitness issues, McInnes may opt to stick with the Kilmarnock XI from the win over Aberdeen.

All but one of his midfield and attacking players were substituted during the final 18 minutes to keep them as fresh as possible for this contest.

Although Clement was able to do similar with his Rangers side, it is unlikely to prevent the Belgian from continuing to rotate his players for this contest.

Borna Barisic may return at left-back after remaining as an unused substitute against Hearts, while Scott Wright and Fabio Silva are options in the final third.

With Todd Cantwell sidelined for a number of weeks, Clement may feel inclined not to risk Tom Lawrence from the start, nor Kemar Roofe after his return from injury, with Nicolas Raskin potentially being introduced and one of John Lundstram or Mohamed Diomande being used in a slightly-more advanced role.

Kilmarnock possible starting lineup:

Dennis; Wright, Mayo, Findlay, Ndaba; Armstrong, Donnelly, Polworth, Kennedy; Watkins, Vassell

Rangers possible starting lineup:

Butland; Tavernier, Goldson, Souttar, Barisic; Raskin, Lundstram; Wright, Diomande, Cortes; Dessers

We say: Kilmarnock 0-2 Rangers

Although Rangers made light work of Hearts at the weekend, we do not expect the same to materialise here. Nevertheless, such is Rangers' momentum that we still back them to get the job done, albeit with a more hard-working performance.

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