Rangers v Aberdeen preview: Team news, head-to-head, line-ups, where to watch
Philippe Clement will be eager to build on his winning momentum at Rangers when his side host Aberdeen in the Scottish Premiership.
The tension between the Gers and the supporters is rising after the Union Bears group staged a mass walkout in the 55th minute of the 3-1 win against St Johnstone on Sunday (12 January).
Patrick Stewart’s public backing of the Belgian did not go down well with the supporters and, despite returning to winning ways on the weekend, the pressure remains to deliver consistent results at Ibrox.
Preview
Aberdeen claimed a 2-1 win against the Light Blues in the return fixture at Pittodrie on 30 October, which was a particularly low point for Clement.
However, fast forward just over two months later and the Dons, who emerged as early challengers to Celtic, are winless in their last 11 SPFL outings.
Rangers have not transformed into a force to be reckoned with in Scotland since the last time these sides met, but the prospect of facing Jimmy Thelin’s men is far less daunting than it once was.
While Clement put three points on the board against St Johnstone, beating the SPFL’s bottom-of-the-table outfit has not earned him any brownie points at Ibrox.
The draws against Hibernian and Dundee remain fresh in the supporters’ minds, amid a “gradual erosion of standards”, and considering the results came directly after a deceiving 3-0 win against Celtic on 2 February.
Every match for Clement from now until the end of the season is a must-win clash, and his test starts with Aberdeen.
Form Guide [Scottish Premiership]
Rangers: WDDWD
Aberdeen: DLLLL
Head-to-Head [all competitions]
Aberdeen 2-1 Rangers (30 October, 2024)
Rangers 2-1 Aberdeen (6 February, 2024)
Rangers 1-0 Aberdeen (17 December, 2023)
Aberdeen 1-1 Rangers (26 November, 2023)
Rangers 1-3 Aberdeen (30 September, 2023)
Team News for Rangers v Aberdeen
Clement is contending with numerous injury problems heading into the clash on Wednesday, with star defender John Souttar still on the sidelines alongside Jack Butland.
However, the Belgian has revealed a positive update on the injury front, with defensive duo James Tavernier and Leon Balogun in contention to feature at Ibrox.
Thelin is also missing several key first-team players for the visitors, with Pape Habib Gueye, Dimitar Mitov, Ester Sokler, Gavin Molloy, Jack Milne and Vicente Besuijen all confirmed absentees.
Predicted lineups for Rangers v Aberdeen
Rangers: Kelly, Yilmaz, Nsiala, Propper, Jefte, Diomande, Raskin, Cerny, Hagi, Danilo, Igamane
Aberdeen: Doohan, Devlin, Tobers, Rubezic, McGarry, Palaversa, Nilsen, Shinnie, Okkels, Keskinen, Nisbet
Where to watch?
The match at Ibrox kicks off at 8pm GMT on Wednesday (15 January), and will be available live on Sky Sports Football, Sky Sports Football+ and available to stream on the SkyGo and NOWTV apps.
Alternatively, the match will be available to listen live on BBC Sport Scotland.
Prediction: Rangers 3-0 Aberdeen
The Gers have no problem producing consistent results at Ibrox, and the hosts should have no problem claiming the three points against a depleted Aberdeen.
Thelin will be wondering what went wrong for the Dons as he prepares for a trip to Glasgow – only a few short months ago, his side led Rangers in the SPFL.
However, Clement has a knack for pulling results out of his back pocket when needed most, and with the home support on his side, he should pick up another three points on Wednesday.
In other Rangers news, Andy Halliday reacts to the Gers fan protests against the Ibrox board.
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