Kilmarnock vs Rangers: Hosts are value to take advantage of troubled visitors

Wednesday presents a five-match programme from the Scottish Premiership, including an intriguing clash at Rugby Park. Rangers travel without a manager following Philippe Clement's weekend sacking. 

Gers now face a team led by Derek McInnes, one of the early favourites for the vacant position in Govan. Betfred’s Frank Monkhouse expects an interesting evening in East Ayrshire and previews the match, offering his predictions.

Football Odds

McInnes must ignore the noise and media speculation again linking him with the Rangers job and concentrate on the task at hand. The former Gers midfielder famously walked away from the position in the past, so he’s no sure thing in the next Rangers manager betting list. McInnes knows guiding his team to a third win in four games is the priority, and his side look to have a golden opportunity to beat an opponent lacking direction.

Losing to Queens Park in the Scottish Cup wasn’t the final straw for the Rangers board, but it was the end of the line for most of the squad. Rangers lacked the belief, confidence, invincibility, and the swagger we’re accustomed to seeing from them at Ibrox. The light blues were stunned by Queens Park and hadn’t recovered by the time St Mirren left Govan with a 2-0 win on Saturday.

Kilmarnock vs Rangers Odds

Kilmarnock may enjoy the home advantage and improving form against an under-fire opponent, but that doesn’t tell the whole story. Killie are seven places beneath their rivals in the Premiership, with 25 fewer points on the board and less than half the wins.

That explains why you can back Kilmarnock at odds of 5/1 with Betfred. That quote is sure to grab the attention of value hunters.

The Rangers squad could answer to the current Kilmarnock manager soon enough, so putting on a show and proving their worth would be advisable. For Wednesday’s match, Rangers are led by a make-shift coaching staff doing nothing more than providing a short-term solution. The visitors lost to St Mirren on Saturday afternoon, but Betfred traders expect a response, pricing the away win at 8/15, with the draw 16/5.

Both teams to score @ 4/5

I expect goals in this game and both teams to find the net at least once during the play is worth a spot in your midweek accumulator. Rangers have scored 54 but conceded 22, with Kilmarnock netting 31 times but allowing 42 goals against. Those numbers show both teams are aggressive in attack but fragile at the back.

The head-to-head stats also support our approach. It’s worth knowing Kilmarnock have scored five goals in their previous five home games against Rangers. The Gers have found the net six times in their last five trips to Rugby Park.

That run includes a 2-1 away win here 12 months ago, achieved thanks to a quickfire double from James Tavernier and Tom Lawrence after Danny Armstrong broke the deadlock.

Kilmarnock win @ 5/1

With a competitive match expected and both teams to score picked as our main bet, we shoot for goal with a wager at higher odds. Kilmarnock will never have a better opportunity to beat Rangers and are worth following at the generous 5/1 currently available on the Betfred mobile app and website.

The Rangers squad know Rugby Park is never an easy place to visit. Kilmarnock have beaten Rangers here in two of their previous three attempts, Gers winning the spare 2-1 in another close contest.

Killie backers take confidence from the head-to-head stats, Rangers losing their manager, and McInnes knowing it’s another huge chance to impress the Ibrox board. Keep your stakes low and hope Killie pull off an upset.

Frank Monkhouse covers Scottish Football for us here at Betfred Insights. You can check out all of his work along with that of the rest of our Football Betting Tips desk on our main Football page...