Derek McInnes makes new Rangers admission on BBC Sport Scotland

Derek McInnes expects a "tough" challenge with Rangers set to visit Rugby Park to face Kilmarnock on Sunday 20 October.

The Gers will travel to East Ayrshire after the end of the international break, and the Kilmarnock boss is prepared for the Scottish Premiership clash.

Speaking to BBC Sport Scotland [17 October], McInnes is proud of the reputation his team have built and shared what he has heard other managers say.

"You hear opposition managers say it all the time, it's a tough game. They make references to the surface, they make reference to Kilmarnock's strong home form. That pleases me," he said.

"People do recognise we're a strong team at home, and it's important that we give Rangers exactly that - a tough game. And I expect us to do that.

"I'm expecting a tough game because Rangers, I think, can test your organisation; they've got players that could come up with moments.

"A team like Rangers you'll obviously expect them to win week in, week out. We have to try and make sure that we expect to win at home all the time as well."

Kilmarnock are tough test for Rangers

With club football set to resume after the international break, how the team will perform against Kilmarnock remains to be seen.

McInnes' team have picked up their form in recent weeks and are unbeaten in their last four league matches, beating Dundee 3-2 in their previous fixture.

As for the Gers, the loss to Olympique Lyon tarnished what had otherwise been a perfect run in recent weeks at Ibrox.

However, the team picked up right where they had left off against St Johnstone, and despite the red card to Ianis Hagi, Philippe Clement will have his best players available against Kilmarnock.

As things stand, the Govan club are five points off the top of the table and can't afford any slip-ups, but having one of the best defences in the league is a promising sign.

Hopefully, Kilmarnock's defensive frailties will allow Clement to unleash the vast attacking potential with Cyriel Dessers, Tom Lawrence and Nedim Bajrami in decent form and exploit McInnes' team's weakness.

In other Rangers news, John Gilligan reacts to reports he’s seen about Rangers behind the scenes.

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