These two sides are competing towards the top of the Scottish Premiership table but both look like they will not be pulling up any trees in the remainder of the season given their respective positions at the moment.
Rangers were having a bad time before former manager Mark Warburton’s controversial departure from the club and, unfortunately for them, caretaker manager Graeme Murty has not been able to stop the rot which means that Rangers have taken just one point from a possible 12 in their last four matches.
Although the Gers have had a decent defensive record over the course of the season, recently it has been pretty bad with nine goals conceded in those aforementioned latest matches and just one clean sheet since Christmas Eve. They have been okay in the final third and have scored in every league match since 30th November. However, at the moment they have trouble scoring more than once a match which means they struggle to put games to bed.
Even though Rangers have not won a home match in the Premiership in this calendar year, it is worth noting that they are unbeaten at Ibrox in their last three in all competitions and only city Celtic have beaten them on home soil this season.
St Johnstone are currently on a bit of a dodgy run at the moment with three losses in their last four matches. They do sit 5th in the table but are currently six points off Rangers in 3rd place – a gap which looks like it will be too much to overcome.
Goals are pretty uncommon in St Johnstone matches with 33 scored and 33 conceded in 26 league matches. Their goal-scoring record is the worst of the top five teams.
Strangely, Tommy Wright’s men are much better on their travels than they are at home with 22 points taken from 13 matches – compared to just 15 at home. Furthermore, The Saints will be confident going into this match having won their previous two away games.
Although St. Johnstone have been good on the road recently, going to Ibrox is a different proposition and, despite their recent poor form, it is worth remembering that Rangers have been fantastic at home this season. Having said all that, with neither side particularly good going forward, I am not expecting a flurry of goals here. Overall the hosts are the stronger side and really do benefit from play at home. On this basis, ‘Rangers to Win & Under 2.5 Goals’ is the bet to go for.
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