Rangers vs Livingston Prediction: Improving Gers to tame toothless lions at Ibrox

Another week and another exciting six-game programme from the Scottish Premiership on Saturday afternoon. Rangers host Livingston at Ibrox and Betfred’s Frank Monkhouse previews…

Followers of the Scottish Premiership enjoy a full six fixtures on Saturday, with Rangers hosting Livingston in the pick of the 3:00PM starts.

The hosts were busy in the January transfer window, with manager Philippe Clement strengthening important areas, including the midfield and attack, with three new faces. The experienced boss now feels he has a team capable of challenging Celtic for the Premiership title after winning the League Cup.

Livingston arrives in Glasgow and at the home of Rangers, stuck to the bottom of the league and facing the real threat of relegation. The Lions are now fighting for their Premiership futures, desperate to avoid being dumped into the Scottish Championship. The result of the game at Ibrox won’t relegate them, but Livingston fans know their team must improve fast.

Team news

Rangers started the weekend with three Premiership wins on the bounce and success in the Scottish Cup. The team responded to losing 2-1 at Celtic Park by beating Kilmarnock, Dumbarton, Hibs, and St Mirren without fuss. Victory on Saturday over basement boys Livi would keep the pressure on Brendan Rodgers and Celtic, who set the pace but have been far from convincing of late.

Livingston is rock bottom of the Premiership with just two wins managed from 23 attempts. The Lions have lost three of their last five in this competition, taking only two points from 15 available. They’re six points behind nearest rivals Ross County in 11th and currently eight off St Johnstone and safety. Time is running out for Livingston to save their skins.

Rangers vs Livingston Odds

Here, we have a team pushing hard for the title that attracted some eye-catching players in the January transfer window and boast impressive recent form, winning four of their last five games. They host a relegation-threatened opponent stuck on an extended winless streak, and that’s reflected in the pre-match betting odds available at Betfred.

Rangers is the home team, ranks much higher in the league, and boasts impressive recent form. It’s no surprise that they start this game as favourites, with Betfred offering the locals at 1/11. Livingston looks like a lost cause in Govan, but you can back the Lions to roar at 20/1, and that quote explains everything. The draw is yours at 15/2. You’ll find those prices on the Betfred website and user-friendly mobile app.

Tavenier to score anytime @ 7/5

Captain James Tavernier has been the driving force behind Rangers’ revival this season, and his stats against Livingston make for impressive reading. The defender scored the second in a 2-0 win for Gers at Livingston when the teams last met, slotting home from the penalty spot with 75 minutes on the clock, adding to an earlier goal from striker Cyriel Dessers.

Tavernier also scored twice at Livi late last season, taking his tally to three goals in four games against Saturday’s opponents. He also found the net against Celtic and Dumbarton, making him a great bet to score again here.

Back Tavernier to score anytime in this game at the 7/5 currently available, 11/8 earlier in the week. He’s likely to play the entire 90 minutes as captain, will get forward as often as possible, and remains on penalty duty, meaning backers should get a run for their money with this bet at a fair price.

Rangers 4-0 @ 7/1

Tavenier to score anytime is our main bet in the Rangers vs Livingston game, but I often like to offer an alternative at higher odds, taking a bit more of a risk while sticking with the stats. Interestingly, Rangers won 4-0 the last twice they hosted Livingston at Ibrox, and we fancy a hat-trick, backing another 4-0 home win at a generous 7/1 price-tag.

The Gers also scored four goals against Dumbarton and put three past both Kilmarnock and Hibs last month. Livingston conceded four against Dundee, and we’re hopeful of landing a correct score bet at the kind of odds that could change your Saturday night plans.

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...