Preview: St Mirren vs. Rangers - prediction, team news, lineups

The hosts suffered a 3-0 defeat at Aberdeen in midweek, while the visitors were held to a 2-2 draw by Hearts after conceding in the 94th minute.

Match preview

When Leighton Clarkson put Aberdeen ahead inside 14 minutes on Wednesday, it was always going to be difficult for St Mirren to turn things around, and their task became even harder when Thierry Small was sent off midway through the first half.

A Graeme Shinnie brace saw the Buddies suffer a disappointing defeat at Pittodrie, which extended their winless run to six matches, with two draws and four losses coming since their last victory.

When you look at the bigger picture, Stephen Robinson's men have managed to win just two of their previous 11 games, recording four draws and five defeats in the process, with three victories coming in their last 15 outings.

The Paisley outfit enjoyed plenty of success at the SMISA Stadium earlier in the season, enjoying a 12-game unbeaten home run between August and January, but they have struggled for consistency in recent times.

Indeed, St Mirren have lost three of their last six league encounters at the SMISA Stadium, taking seven home points from a possible 18 since defeating Motherwell back in January.

Thanks to goals from Todd Cantwell and Fashion Sakala, Rangers looked set to secure all three points against Hearts on Wednesday, but a 94th-minute equaliser from Garang Kuol saw the visitors snatch a last-gasp draw.

Following a run of three losses in four matches in April, the Gers responded by chalking up three successive victories earlier this month, including a 3-0 win over arch-rivals Celtic to make amends for last month's Scottish Cup failure.

Although Michael Beale's men remain unbeaten in four games following Wednesday's draw, they will be disappointed to have thrown away their winning streak by allowing Hearts to equalise in second-half stoppage time.

Still, Rangers can take confidence from their impressive record on the road, as they have won nine of their previous 11 away league games, scoring at least three goals on seven occasions.

Given the 13-point gulf between Rangers and Celtic, there is no hiding the fact that Beale's men have failed to keep pace with their bitter rivals this term, but the Gers will be hopeful of finishing the campaign on a high and setting the foundations for next season.

St Mirren Scottish Premiership form:

L

L

L

D

D

L

Rangers Scottish Premiership form:

W

L

W

W

W

D

Rangers form (all competitions):

L

L

W

W

W

D

Team News

St Mirren are still without long-term absentees Jonah Ayunga and Richard Tait, while Tony Watt, Ryan Flynn and Alex Greive are all expected to miss the final game due to injury.

Theirry Small will also be absent on Saturday after picking up a red card in midweek, with Scott Tanser likely to deputise at left-back.

Australia international Keanu Baccus will continue to anchor the Buddies' midfield, while Greg Kiltie and Curtis Main will resume their partnership in attack.

As for Rangers, Antonio Colak, Ben Davies, Ryan Kent and Malik Tillman have all joined the club's lengthy injury list in recent weeks, leaving Michael Beale with limited options.

Long-term absentees Steven Davis, Filip Helander, Tom Lawrence, Kemar Roofe and Nnamdi Ofoborh have all been sidelined for much of the campaign.

Todd Cantwell will operate behind Alfredo Morelos and Fashion Sakala in attack, while club captain James Tavernier - who has contributed 18 goals and 10 assists from right-back this term - will continue to lead the team.

St Mirren possible starting lineup:

Carson; Strain, Fraser, Shaughnessy, Taylor, Tanser; Gogic, Baccus, O'Hara; Main, Kiltie

Rangers possible starting lineup:

McGregor; Tavernier, Souttar, King, Yilmaz; Lundstrum, Raskin, Kamara; Cantwell; Morelos, Sakala

We say: St Mirren 0-2 Rangers

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