Premiership leaders Rangers will be looking to continue their unbeaten run in the league when they travel to McDiarmid Park to take on St. Johnstone on Wednesday. The Gers’ most recent clash saw them register a 3-1 win against Motherwell in the league, where despite going down to an early goal from the away side, Steven Gerrard’s men were able to turn things around in the late stages. Although the result was far from comfortable from a Rangers perspective, it meant that they went 16 points clear at the top of the Premiership, with Celtic having played in the Scottish Cup final.
Rangers have been in fine form since the start of the campaign, but they were shockingly handed their first defeat of the season by St. Mirren in the Scottish League Cup a few days ago. Although they recovered from that result with a win against Motherwell, it must be conceded that their performance was far from convincing. The last time these two sides faced off was all the way back in August, where Steven Gerrard’s men came away with a rather comfortable 3-0 win. St. Johnstone could hence be eager to exact their revenge for that defeat this time around.
Team News
Rangers don’t have too many injury concerns to deal with at this point in time, with centre-half Nikola Katic, who is yet to play a single minute of football this season, the only long-term absentee from the side. Apart from him, another player who remains a doubt for this clash against the Saints is Nigerian international defender Leon Balogun, who had to go off with a head injury in their recent defeat at the hands of St. Mirren. Filip Helander is hence likely to take his place in the squad. Ryan Jack is another player who might not play any part in this fixture.
Here Is The Predicted 4-3-3 Rangers Lineup Vs St. Johnstone:
Predicted 4-3-3 Rangers Lineup Vs St. Johnstone
Defence
Allan McGregor has been the first-choice keeper at the Ibrox since the start of the season, but the rate at which he has been conceding goals recently is sure to come as a cause for concern for Steven Gerrard. Despite this, expect the veteran stopper to retain his place in between the sticks. In front of him, the gaffer could opt to deploy the same back-line that seemed to do a decent enough job in the win against Motherwell. Connor Goldson is set to be partnered by Filip Helander in the absence of the injured Balogun, with James Tavernier and Borna Barisic likely to take up the full-back roles.
Midfield
Scott Arfield has been one of the Gers’ standout players since the start of the season, but his performance against Motherwell on the weekend was nothing to write home about. Hence, it wouldn’t be overly surprising to see the veteran being given a rest for this outing. Instead, Nigerian attacker, Joe Aribo could come into the side. Glen Kamara has been building up quite the reputation for himself at the Ibrox this season, which likely means that his place in the side is safe. Steven Davis should be the player selected to sit into the holding midfield role for this clash.
Attack
Now that Alfredo Morelos has served his suspension, it’s likely that Gerrard will bring him straight back into the eleven for the game against the Saints. The Colombian should start in his usual centre-forward position, with ample support expected from either flank as well. To this end, Gerrard could opt to play Kemar Roofe in his now accustomed role on the right flank, with Ryan Kent over on the left. Although Ianis Hagi put in a good shift in the weekend win after coming on as a substitute, it doesn’t warrant a place in the team, as dropping Roofe to bring him in would be highly unfair on the Jamaican.
