Steven Gerrard’s Rangers will be looking to continue their perfect start to the Premiership season when they travel to the Almondvale Stadium to take on Livingston this Sunday. The Ibrox club currently find themselves sitting pretty atop the league table, with just goal difference separating them from Hibernian down in second. The Bears’ campaign so far can only be described as faultless, as they’ve managed to score seven goals over the three outings so far without conceding even once.
Gerrard will be eager to maintain that solid defensive record for as long as he can, especially considering that their Old Firm rivals Celtic have already dropped points in the season after drawing 1-1 against Kilmarnock. The Gers’ most recent outing ended in a comfortable 3-0 win over St.Johnstone, where the likes of Joe Aribo and Ryan Kent stepped up to the plate and delivered. Livingston, on the other hand, will be out looking for their first three points of the new season, having only picked up one draw from their three league outings so far.
Team News
The Ibrox club are currently faced with several injuries in vital areas of the pitch, albeit without too much negative impact. Veteran striker Jermain Defoe remains on the sidelines with a hamstring problem, and he isn’t expected to return to first-team training until the start of next month. Another one of the long-term knocks that Gerrard’s men have had to deal with over recent weeks is that of Nikola Katic. The centre-half has been facing an extended spell on the sidelines, and he isn’t expected to return for this fixture either. Leon Balogun was substituted at half-time last weekend and could sit out the match on Sunday.
Here Is The Predicted 4-3-3 Rangers Lineup Vs Livingston:
Predicted 4-3-3 Rangers Lineup Vs Livingston
Formation: 4-3-3
Defence
With Allan McGregor having missed the last couple of fixtures with a slight niggle, Jon McLaughlin has filled in for the veteran in a fairly efficient manner so far. Unless McGregor makes a complete recovery by the weekend, McLaughlin could be in line to start again on Sunday. In front of him, Connor Goldson is set to keep his place in the heart of the defence, only to be partnered up by Filip Helander rather than the injured Balogun. Borna Barisic and James Tavernier are expected to take up the full-back roles.
Midfield
The midfield anchor role has been fulfilled by Ryan Jack so far this season, and that trend is set to continue into this fixture as well. The Scot has been neat and tidy in possession of the ball, and unless there are some dire changes in the coming weeks, Jack is likely to keep his place for the rest of the term. Glen Kamara has had a decent outing on the weekend and is hence set to retain his position as well. Nigerian powerhouse Joe Aribo has arguably been the Gers’ best player of the campaign so far, which means that he’s unlikely to drop out of the eleven anytime soon either.
Attack
Despite the recent arrivals of Kemar Roofe and Cedric Itten, the pair of them would likely have to do with a place on the bench for one more league clash. This would mean that Colombian forward Alfredo Morelos is expected to lead the Bears’ attack-line, with two wingers alongside him for added support. Ianis Hagi’s performance levels have dropped drastically since the start of the league season, and that will need to change for this encounter. Alongside the Romanian, expect Ryan Kent to keep his place on the other flank.
