Rangers vs St Mirren Prediction: Gers to sink Saints at Ibrox

Rangers play their second home game of the week following Thursday’s home draw with Limassol. Betfred’s Scottish football writer Frank Monkhouse previews and offers his predictions…

Rangers enjoy home advantage for the second time this week as Philippe Clement’s team aims to continue their unbeaten record under the Belgian. Gers missed a chance to close the gap on Celtic last week when held to a 1-1 draw by Aberdeen at Pittodrie, and that upset many fans who wanted to see progress from the squad. Many in the home camp are now playing for their futures under Clement, and that will show in Sunday’s performance.

Things have been going well in Paisley this season, with St Mirren starting the campaign strongly. They begin the weekend third in the league and could close the gap on Rangers to just three points with a win in Govan. That’s easier said than done, of course, but St Mirren arrive on the back of a morale-boosting victory.

Team News

There’s still a sense of disappointment in the Rangers camp following that draw in the Granite City that felt like two points dropped, despite a late James Tavernier penalty leveling things up in dramatic fashion. Clement’s men must dust themselves down and get back to winning ways, making it five wins and a draw in their last half-dozen league outings. What better way to achieve that than with a convincing home win over the team in third?

The Rangers squad remains weakened by injuries, but things are moving in the right direction for Clement, and he’ll be delighted to have Kemar Roofe back approaching match fitness and sharpness. The return of Tom Lawrence improves the midfield, while Rabbi Matando adds an injection of speed to the wide areas. Young Ross McCausland scored and impressed in Thursday’s draw with Aris and should start against the Buddies.

Saints at a crossroads

St Mirren started the Premiership strongly, losing just one of their first nine outings. Their form has dipped in recent weeks, with St Mirren's last five games showing two wins, two defeats, and a draw. The visitors arrive at a crossroads; will they bounce back following a mixed bag of results, or has the momentum of that strong start now worn off? Only time will tell, but everyone in the Saints camp will come to Govan hoping to be competitive.

Despite returning from the international break with a battling 1-0 home win over Livingston, the Saints missed Ryan Strain, who picked up an injury while on international duty with Australia. The wingback will likely miss the trip to Ibrox, although Jonah Ayunga’s return to full fitness is a boost for Saints boss Stephen Robinson.

Rangers vs St Mirren Odds

The pre-match betting odds on this game at Ibrox on Sunday from 3:00 pm are available on the Betfred mobile app and website. There are no surprises in the betting with the home team clear favourites and that’s difficult to argue against, given the recent form of both clubs. Will you follow the market or go against the grain, looking for value?

Rangers, to add another three points to their tally and remain on the coattails of Celtic, is the betting favourite with odds of 2/11 available at Betfred. Prefer an away win for St Mirren? The visitors trade at 10/1, while the draw may interest some at 5/1. Pick sides or keep digging and find something that catches your eye in the specials, with over 100 pre-match and in-play betting markets available at the touch of a button.

Bet 1: Rangers win to nil @ 5/6

St Mirren have been performing better than expected this season, but do they have what it takes to score a rare win at Ibrox? The locals know the pressure is on to not only beat St Mirren but also to do it in the kind of style that shows they are serious about challenging for the title. Blowing away the third-best team in the league would help achieve that.

Rangers beat St Mirren 3-0 in Paisley last month with the goals scored by Abdallah Sima and a James Tavernier double. Interestingly, the stats show Rangers have kept a clean sheet in seven of their last ten meetings with St Mirren, including each of the previous two. If the hosts have recovered from Thursday’s endeavors, they should have enough quality to score another win without conceding.

Bet 2: Rangers 3-0 @ 6/1

We’ll stick with the stats and aim a little higher for our second prediction at Ibrox. Rangers beat St Mirren 3-0 in Paisley just a few weeks ago, and that was the scoreline in each of the last two meetings. Will we see a third 3-0 win on the bounce? It’s possible, and we have no issues putting this bet forward as one worth a play at small stakes, hoping to land a handsome return at 6/1.

St Mirren will come to Ibrox intent on making life difficult for their opponents, frustrating the players, and upsetting nearly 55,000 fans packed into the Govan venue for the second time in three days. A fast start and early goal for Rangers would ease tensions and help open the game up a little, creating space for the home players to exploit.

This game is one of several that we have previewed for Sunday. We have plenty of Football Betting Tips across various leagues all weekend here on the Betfred Insights website...