Rangers vs Aberdeen Prediction: Sima will shoot Gers to Cup Final victory

Sunday pairs Rangers and Aberdeen in the Scottish League Cup final at Hampden. Rangers are favourites, and Betfred’s Frank Monkhouse says they’ll win when it matters most…

Sunday brings an exciting game from the Scottish football calendar as Rangers and Aberdeen contest the season’s first piece of silverware. The League Cup is up for grabs at Hampden, and a special atmosphere is guaranteed. Will the play live up to the pre-match hype? There’s rarely a dull moment when the Gers and Dons butt heads, and Sunday’s final will be another explosive affair.

Who wins? Both teams are here on merit after battling through several challenging games to make it to the decider. Rangers enjoy the larger support as fans hope to drive their heroes to victory and another trophy at the national stadium. But to win the League Cup, they must beat Aberdeen, something they’ve failed to do in two previous attempts this term.

Team News

Rangers play their second big game of the week following Thursday’s euphoric Europa League win over Real Betis in Seville, claiming a stunning 3-2 result. The light blues are stuck in the thick of an unforgiving schedule but know that’s par for the course when playing for Rangers. Every member of the squad signed up to feature in big games and try to win titles. They now have their chance when facing Aberdeen for the League Cup. The occasion will help everyone from the starting 11 to the substitutes dig into their energy reserves.

Philippe Clement cut a bewildered figure when running through his lengthening injury list ahead of Thursday’s trip to Seville. The Belgian informed reporters that star striker Danilo will be out for several months due to a knock. Ryan Jack’s progress hasn’t been as smooth as medical staff had hoped, and Todd Cantwell was given leave to deal with a family issue he’d like to keep private. The boss is experienced in winning awards, but he’ll need all his expertise to ensure Rangers leave Hampden with the trophy.

Dons running on empty

Many teams playing Rangers in a cup final would aim to rest on the week of the game and hope to take advantage of any tired legs in the opposing camp. But that’s not an option for Aberdeen, who were also in action on Thursday evening when they ended their Europa Conference League campaign with a home game against Eintracht Frankfurt. It was an effort to forget as the Dons exited Europe after six games, but they ended on a high, beating the Germans 2-0 at Pittodrie.

Things haven’t been too much better in the Premiership for Aberdeen, with Barry Robson’s team down in ninth place with just four wins from 15 games, scoring 17 goals but conceding 25. The Dons have leaked more goals than the bottom two clubs in the pile, and that’s something that will encourage the Rangers attack. They did strike late to score an overdue win against Hearts at Pittodrie last Saturday after Lawrence Shankland had given the Jambos the lead. They’ll require plenty more of that fighting spirit on Sunday.

Rangers vs Aberdeen Odds

Betting odds have been available on the Scottish League Cup final since the fixture was confirmed, with Betfred traders making Rangers the convincing favourites. Gers haven’t enjoyed much success in this tournament in recent years, but they are improving under manager Clement and have a great chance to snatch the first trophy. Having fought their way back into the Premiership title race, fans hope a win here will be the catalyst for more success this season.

Do you agree Rangers is the most likely winner of Sunday’s final? You can back Gers to live up to expectations and win the cup in regulation time at 4/11. That quote will sit nicely in your Sunday accumulators. Fancy an upset? Aberdeen is unbeaten against Rangers this term, making the 15/2 available on the Dons look like the value play. A draw will net backers 7/2 and force the game into extra time.

Bet 1: Rangers win @ 4/11

There are a lot of factors to consider here, but we’ll keep things simple and back Rangers in the match-winner market at odds of 4/11. It’s not the kind of price you’re after for a final, but we make the Gers a strong bet, and the odds could help boost your Sunday football accas. Rangers have injury worries, but they’re also the form team of the two, boast more experience winning finals, and have that all-important majority in the stands.

Aberdeen won at Ibrox in a game that helped usher in the premature end of the Michael Beale era in Govan. The teams then ended 1-1 at Pittodrie, with Gers needing a late James Tavernier penalty to snatch a deserved point. Other than those two huge efforts against Rangers, we’ve seen little from Aberdeen this season and will oppose them in a crucial game at the national stadium broadcast to a global audience.

Bet 2: Sima first goal @ 5/1

Rangers striker Abdallah Sima has been the most interesting addition to the Rangers' attack this season, with the on-loan Brighton man leading the Premiership scoring charts with nine goals. He netted his team’s only goal in that shock 3-1 home defeat to Aberdeen earlier in the campaign and has bagged four goals in three domestic games this month, including the winner in a 1-0 at Tynecastle and a double in a 2-0 win over St Mirren.

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...