Preview: Rangers vs. Aberdeen - prediction, team news, lineups

Rangers will be looking to extend their lead at the top of the Scottish Premiership table when they welcome Aberdeen to Ibrox Stadium on Wednesday evening.

Steven Gerrard's side have a slender three-point advantage over second-place Hearts, whilst Aberdeen are languishing down in the bottom half of the table.

Match preview

© Reuters

Having romped to a 55th league title last season, Rangers have not had it all their own way so far and were denied back-to-back unbeaten campaigns by Dundee United on matchday two.

Since the early August defeat to the Tangerines, Rangers have been able to recover somewhat and currently boast an eight-game streak without defeat, stretching back to their Tannadice trip.

However, it is not the longest run of games without loss, as that record is currently held by an in-form Hearts side, who Rangers could only muster a draw against in their last match at home.

John Lundstram's first-half strike was cancelled out at the death by Craig Halkett's equaliser in added time, ensuring Hearts maintained their position as the only unbeaten side in Scotland's top three divisions.

Whilst a sustained Hearts title challenge remains an unlikely prospect, Rangers will still be wary of the steady advancements of rivals Celtic under new boss Ange Postecoglou.

By the time the next Old Firm match rolls around at the start of January, Celtic will be hoping they have cut the current four-point deficit to Rangers.

There are 11 league fixtures to come for Rangers before that game, starting with the visit of Aberdeen on Wednesday, who are still the last team outside the Old Firm duopoly to win the Scottish championship.

© Reuters

A season ending in silverware seems a distant dream at this point for Stephen Glass's side, who are slumped in eighth with just 11 points from 10 games.

Relegation will likely not be an issue for Aberdeen, yet they face an uphill task if they wish to sneak into Europe for a ninth consecutive season.

Knocked out of the Europa Conference league at the playoff round by Qarabag, it is now 13 years since the Dons last made it to a European group stage – a UEFA Cup campaign in 2007-08 that ended in an eventual knockouts defeat to Bayern Munich.

Last weekend's 1-0 win over early-season high-flyers Hibernian arrested what had been a run of five straight defeats, yet back-to-back victories for the first time since the start of the season seems an unlikely achievement.

Anything but three points on Wednesday will see Aberdeen's winless run against Rangers in league matches stretch to 10 matches, whilst they have netted just three goals in their previous nine meetings across all competitions.

Team News

© Reuters

Rangers have spent just five weeks off the top of the Scottish Premiership table since the start of last season and denying a usually potent attack will be key to Aberdeen's slim hopes of a result.

A negative goal difference after 10 games will not help the Dons' cause and Joe Lewis will make the trip to Ibrox looking for just his second clean sheet of what has so far been a pretty arduous campaign.

One brighter spark for the visitors this season has been recent arrival Christian Ramirez who has netted five goals and registered one assist since being brought in from the Houston Dynamo.

Glass will not be able to blame Aberdeen's performance in midweek on a shortage of players, as the Dons will travel to Glasgow with Andrew Considine as the only absentee.

By contrast, the hosts have a number of doubtful players for the visit of Aberdeen, including Ryan Jack, who has been missing for the reigning champions since the beginning of the season.

However, the defensive midfielder did issue an update regarding his fitness when he shared an image of him training on social media, much to the delight of Rangers players and staff alike.

Other missing parties include Nnamdi Ofoborh (heart problems), Filip Helander (knee) and Ryan Kent (hamstring), making an eighth win from 11 less of a formality as it may seem for Rangers.

Rangers possible starting lineup:
McLaughlin; Tavernier, Goldson, Balogun, Barisic; Davis, Lundstrum, Aribo; Hagi, Roofe, Morelos

Aberdeen possible starting lineup:
Lewis; Ramsay, Bates, Gallagher, McCrorie; Brown, Ferguson, Ojo, Hedges; Ramirez, Watkins

We say: Rangers 3-1 Aberdeen

It has taken some time, yet Rangers have established themselves as Scotland's premier club once again, leapfrogging rivals Celtic as the standout side in the division.

Aberdeen will not be a walkover for Rangers, yet their threats should pose little threat to the hosts, making another win for Gerrard's men the most likely prospect.