Rangers Vs St Mirren
Wednesday 22nd January 2020 – 19:45 Kick-Off
Scottish Premier League
Pick: Rangers & Under 3.5 Goals
Odds: 6/5
Bookmaker: Boylesports
(All betting odds displayed in this article were correct at time of writing: 20th January 2020 at 14:40)
Preview: The first Scottish Premier League fixture of the decade for these two clubs as Rangers, who trail leaders Celtic by two points but with a game in hand, take on St Mirren at Ibrox.
SPL Betting at 22Bet
Table of Contents
Rangers Preview – Gerrard’s Gers to build on Old Firm success?
Those expecting something more emphatic during Friday’s Scottish Cup encounter with Stranraer were left underwhelmed after Rangers (2nd – W16 D2 L1, GF53 GA11) eased to a fairly routine 2-0 scoreline against the League One outfit at Ibrox. Goals from Scott Arfield and Jermaine Defoe ensured comfortable progression though, as Steven Gerrard’s men eased themselves back into competitive action for the first time since last month’s Old Firm derby.
Victory over their fierce enemy was made all the more sweeter with it being on the road at Parkhead, where The Gers endured nearly a full decade of disappointment and humiliation prior to a 2-1 success there three weeks ago. Emotions will have been high after that game, which is completely understandable, but it is important to remember the obvious – that there are still numerous must-win games between now and April including one final Old Firm clash at Ibrox.
This fixture is one, albeit one they are expected to encounter few issues in winning. Gerrard will be challenging his players to win every single fixture from here on out, starting with a St Mirren side who made life difficult at their ground back in August in a game the visitors only narrowly prevailed in, winning 1-0. Rangers have been irresistible at home, though, winning seven of eight so far losing only to Celtic, with five of them by a margin of at least two clear goals.
St Mirren Preview – Goodwin determined to dampen Ibrox mood?
It would have gone down as one of the biggest upsets in Scottish Cup history had St Mirren (10th – W5 D4 L12, GF17 GA29) not beaten lowly Broxburn Athletic. That was thankfully avoided courtesy of a professional display from Jim Goodwin’s team who dispatched with their East of Scotland League opponents with the minimal amount of fuss, running up a 3-0 scoreline at St Mirren Park.
With those formalities aside, focus quickly shifts to the league where the objective remains the same as it was at the start of the term: avoiding demotion to the Scottish Championship. So far so good, although their margin for error is minimal. Just a point separates them from the relegation play-off. With a succession of difficult fixtures to come, it is a position they could soon find themselves occupying.
Their manager vowed to ‘frustrate the life’ out of Wednesday’s opponents, which is certainly bold and not entirely without some foundation. His St Mirren team have so far conceded 29 goals from 21 league games, the sixth-best figure in the division, losing on just the four occasions by more than a single goal. Anything more than a respectable scoreline would be a bonus, however: The Saints slumped to eight defeats across their opening ten away SPL games (W1 D1 L8).
Click here for more Betting Tips
Betting Summary
Unsurprisingly, Rangers are prohibitively short in the Match Odds betting. However, opposing a side which has won every single home fixture this season when excluding the Old Firm seems foolish. So, how many will Steven Gerrard’s men put past a St Mirren team whose sole aim on the night will be keeping the scoring to an absolute minimum? Easier said than done when the hosts are thus far averaging over three per home game (3.38).
Rangers Vs St Mirren – Key Facts:
- Rangers have been victorious in seven out of eight home SPL games this season, losing only to Celtic there.
- St Mirren would avoid defeat on just two occasions during their ten away encounters so far (W1 D1 L8).
- There has been no goal scored by the visitors in each of the previous four domestic meetings between these two teams at Ibrox, with Rangers winning all four ‘to nil’.
Their August meeting at St Mirren was a close affair, ultimately settled by the one goal in Rangers favour. All the noise coming from the visitors are that they will target something very similar here. Four or more goals were scored in six of the eight league games in which Rangers were hosts this season, but this was only the case once during the ten occasions St Mirren went travelling. Factor in some potential for winter rust and this could lead to another victory of the more modest variety for Gerrard’s title chasers.
Best Betting Odds for Rangers Vs St Mirren
Rangers – 1/9 Ladbrokes
Draw – 10/1 Betfair
St Mirren – 35/1 Betfair
