New Rangers boss Danny Rohl has his work cut out for him at Ibrox, starting with a must-win clash against Kilmarnock this weekend.
The Gers host Stuart Kettlewell’s side on Sunday afternoon at 15:00 GMT and need to pick up all three points to get their season back on track.
Team form
Rangers endured their worst start to a Scottish Premiership season in nearly 50 years under former manager Russell Martin.
The ex-Southampton gaffer was sacked after just seven league games in charge, having won just once thanks to a stoppage-time goal from Max Aarons against bottom-of-the-table Livingston.
His tenure included five draws and one defeat, and last week’s caretaker coach, Steve Smith, couldn’t perform much better, as Rangers were arguably lucky to even pick up a point in the 2-2 draw with Dundee United.
Rohl, who initially withdrew from the race to become the new Rangers boss before being unveiled at Ibrox just days later, faces a massive uphill task to turn things around, especially with the side already 13 points behind table-toppers Hearts and eight adrift of second-place Celtic.
Kilmarnock, who currently sit in fifth, just one point above Rangers, are heading to Ibrox in equally inconsistent form.
Kettlewell’s men couldn’t get their noses in front in the opening four games, drawing with Livingston, Hibernian, Dundee, and Motherwell before losing 2-1 to Celtic at home on matchday five.
Back-to-back wins over Dundee United and St. Mirren before the recent international break appeared to give them some confidence and momentum. Still, Killie were brought back down to earth after suffering a 3-0 loss to high-flying Hearts last weekend.
Head-to-head
Rangers can perhaps take confidence from their positive record against Kilmarnock going into this tie. The Gers have won four of their last five games against the East Ayrshire outfit, including a 4-2 win at Rugby Park when they last met in February, as well as convincing 6-0 and 4-1 victories at Ibrox.
Killie’s most recent win over the Glasgow giants came via a 1-0 success at home in their first meeting of last season, but they haven’t beaten Rangers away since 2018 and have lost their last seven consecutive trips to Ibrox, conceding 18 goals and scoring just twice.
Team news
With a trip to Norway to face Brann in the Europa League on Thursday night, Rohl will likely have to make some changes for his first Scottish Premiership fixture.
However, aside from the long-term absence of Dujon Sterling, the former Sheffield Wednesday boss has a full squad at his disposal.
It will be interesting to see how he lines up and if he brings back any of the players that fell out of favour under Martin.
While Kilmarnock have the advantage of over a week off between this match and their defeat to Hearts, they do come here with a slightly more stretched squad.
Djenairo Daniels, who has scored twice in the league this season, is sidelined with a knee injury, while winger Matty Kennedy is still out of action after undergoing hip surgery in July.
Goalkeeper Max Stryjek also missed last week’s defeat to Hearts after a routine screening flagged an abnormality that requires further tests, and it’s unclear if he’ll be back for Rangers.
Key stats
Rangers have averaged just one goal per game in the Scottish Premiership this season.
Gers captain James Tavernier continues to be their main threat, scoring four times in the league.
David Watson is Kilmarnock’s dangerman, with three goals and an assist in eight Scottish Premier League games.
Kilmarnock have averaged 2.2 cards per game in their last five league outings.
Kilmarnock are on a seven-game losing streak at Ibrox.
Prediction
With fans already at the end of their tether in the blue half of Glasgow, Rohl has no choice but to hit the ground running at Ibrox.
Every game is crucial for the German, and anything less than that on Sunday could put him on the back foot from early on.
Luckily, Rangers have a solid record against Kilmarnock at home and should have more than enough about them to pick up all three points.
