Aberdeen vs Rangers Prediction: Brighton loanee to hit the back of the net

Followers of the Scottish Premiership have a mouth-watering game on Sunday’s schedule as Aberdeen welcome rivals Rangers to Pittodrie. Betfred’s Scottish football writer, Frank Monkhouse, expects a cracker...

Week 14 from the Scottish Premiership continues on Sunday as Rangers travel to Pittodrie for a noon kickoff against Aberdeen. A fiery encounter is expected when these rivals butt heads, with both teams eager to secure the bragging rights ahead of next month’s meeting in the League Cup final at Hampden. There’s no silverware at stake here, just three precious points in one of Scottish football’s most entertaining fixtures.

Aberdeen beat Rangers at Ibrox earlier in the season, battling to a shock 3-1 win in Govan, and that result proved to be the final nail in the coffin of now ex-Rangers manager Michael Beale. Experienced Belgian Philippe Clement is now in the hot seat, but can his revitalised Gers give fans the sweet revenge they crave? Find out live on Sky Sports from midday.

Team News

Aberdeen started the weekend down in ninth, just two places and a couple of points above Ross County and the Premiership relegation zone. The Dons are involved in Europa Conference League action, and that has negatively impacted their league form. Stats of three wins, three draws, and five defeats with 14 goals scored and 20 conceded make for uncomfortable reading.

The home team has conceded one goal fewer than bottom club Livingston, but in attacker Bojan Miovski, they have a player who is attracting attention. Miovski helped his national team, North Macedonia, to a surprise 1-1 draw with England on Monday, winning the penalty scored by captain Enis Bardhi. The talented 24-year-old will lead the line against Rangers and will be desperate to make an impression in another high-profile television appearance.

Injury worries improve

Rangers head to the Granite City eager to continue their winning run under manager Clement. The Belgian has turned the tide in Glasgow, helping push the Gers to a League Cup final appearance with a semi-final win over Hearts at the national stadium and Sparta Prague at Ibrox in the Europa League. Rangers have taken 15 points from their last five Premiership games.

Clement’s squad benefited from the international break, which helped the new boss work with his players on the training field. We’re also seeing several key players return from injury, and the likes of Rabbi Matondo, Tom Lawrence, and Kemar Roofe could feature at Pittodrie. Clement doesn’t yet have a fully-fit squad to choose from, but things are certainly moving in the right direction.

Aberdeen vs Rangers Odds

Aberdeen and Rangers also serve up a fascinating contest, and Sunday’s early afternoon kick-off will be no different. The Dons know another defeat would heap pressure on manager Barry Robson and his under-performing players. Their chances of finishing as the best of the rest behind the Old Firm diminish with every point dropped.

Can Aberdeen score back-to-back wins over Rangers? Betfred customers can support the home win at 9/2 while the draw is 3/1. If you prefer Rangers to get their revenge for that 3-1 defeat to the Dons at Ibrox, you can follow the visitors at 1/2, which we make a sound bet for your weekend multiples or as a single to open your account for Sunday.

Bet 1 - Rangers win @ 1/2

Things will be very different at Pittodrie than they were at Ibrox last time or when the clubs meet at Hampden in the League Cup final. The atmosphere will be electric as the locals hope to cheer their team to a win that will drive them up the table. But we’re backing Clement and co to silence the natives.

The new manager hasn’t put a foot wrong since replacing Beale, and the extra time on the training pitch afforded to him by the international break will help bring about further improvement. Pittodrie is a daunting place for most teams to visit, but Rangers have won three and drawn one of their last five visits. It’ll be a typically bad-tempered and highly-charged 90 minutes in the Granite City, but Clement’s cool head will win the day, with Rangers sending a statement of intent for the final.

Bet 2 - Abdallah Sima to score first @ 5/1

On-loan Brighton attacker Abdallah Sima was one of only a few positives from the Michael Beale summer spending spree. The towering Senegal striker is a fans’ favourite in Govan and already has eight goals on the board, making him the Gers’ joint-top scorer alongside club captain James Tavernier.

Sima scored a consolation goal in that 3-1 defeat to the Dons at Ibrox. He also netted six goals in five consecutive games for the Gers in September and October. He’s likely to start out wide against Aberdeen, but his pace and strength will see him cause the home defence problems, especially on the break. He possesses the cool head and skills to ignore the noise and take any chances that fall his way in the opening exchanges.

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