Rangers vs Dundee: Preview, Prediction & Betting Tips

Rangers host Dundee at Ibrox in what is a must win to keep their very faint title hopes alive with so little time in the season remaining.

Date: 14/05/24

Kick-off time: 19:30

Venue: Ibrox Stadium

Just two games remain and Rangers’ hopes of winning the Scottish Premier League are firmly out of their hands following a 2-1 defeat to leaders Celtic last weekend. In second place, they trail their arch rivals by six points with six left to play for. This means that even with a win against Dundee, Celtic can secure the trophy the next day by picking up at least a point. Nevertheless, Rangers will hope to keep winning should a miracle occur. Any dropped points would hand the title to Celtic before they even kick a ball.

Dundee are sixth in the table, and have an outside chance of moving up to fifth, sitting five points behind St Mirren. However, they have struggled of late, and are winless in their last six games. Their issues come at both ends, but particularly in front of goal. In their last five, they have found the back of the net only twice, failing to score in three matches.

The hosts have not endured such concerns, though their one loss and draw in recent games proved extremely costly. They have scored nine in their last four, and have conceded three. Captain and penalty taker James Tavernier is their top scorer on the season with 17 goals, whilst Cyriel Dessers has enjoyed some good form lately, taking his tally up to 15. Dundee have been poor offensively, but are led by Luke McCowan’s nine goals.

Since 2021, these two sides have met six times, and unsurprisingly Rangers have dominated with five wins and a draw. In these games, they have scored 14 goals and conceded just two. The first game this season was a 5-0 thrashing, with Ryan Jack, Danilo, Sam Lammers, Dessers and Tavernier all on the scoresheet. The next game was a 3-1 win at home, in which they had the come from behind to turn it around. The most recent meeting was a goalless draw less than a month ago.

Rangers

Rangers have a few injury concerns, with Leon-Aderemi Balogun dealing with a muscle injury. Rabbi Matondo is nearing a return to fitness after missing the last month, and could feature.

Dundee

Owen Beck has been absent with a groin injury with his return date to be determined. Joe Shaugnessy is out for the season with a knee issue.

Rangers

In their last five games, Rangers have won three, drawn one and lost one. It has been a decent stretch for the club, but they lost plenty of ground in the title race with dropped points. These came at the beginning of this run, with a goalless draw at this weekend’s opponents Dundee. Rangers held their hosts to just one shot on target, but despite their 17 attempts and dominant possession, they were unable to get on the scoresheet themselves in the stalemate.

Attention shifted to the Scottish Cup, as they took on Hearts in the semi-final. They were the superior side throughout, and were rewarded with a 2-0 win, courtesy of a brace from Cyriel Dessers, scoring either side of half-time. They returned to league action with a trip to St Mirren, and they narrowly won 2-1 to pick up a big three points. They went ahead through a James Bolton own goal, but this was cancelled out shortly after by Mikael Mandron. The winner came with 16 minutes to go, with Dessers finding the back of the net. A 4-1 win at home to Kilmarnock made it two wins in a row. The visitors went ahead after a James Tavernier own goal, but were reduced to 10 men soon after when Joe Wright saw red. However, Tavernier missed the resulting penalty. His side were able to get back on level terms deep into stoppage time with a goal from Fabio Silva. The extra man was a huge advantage, as strikes from Ben Davies, Tom Lawrence and John Souttar ensured a win.

Last time out, they travelled to face their arch rivals Celtic in the Old Firm Derby. It was a crucial fixture in the race for top spot, and it ended 2-1 in Celtic’s favour. They scored two goals in three minutes with a strike from Matt O’Riley and an own goal by John Lundstram. Dessers quickly pulled one back, but Lundstram saw red just before the break. This is how the game ended.

Dundee

In their last five games, Dundee have drawn two and lost three. It has been a winless run for Dundee, which began with a pair of goalless draws. The first came away at Aberdeen, which was an even game. Dundee attempted 18 shots, but with just three on target, to their opponents’ 12 shots and five on target. Aberdeen edged possession, but neither were able to break the deadlock. The second draw was against this weekend’s opponents Rangers. They were only able to produce one shot on target, as they struggled to threaten offensively. However, they held their own at the back, keeping Rangers out.

They faced another tricky matchup in Celtic the following game, as they narrowly lost 2-1 at home. Celtic dominated possession, and this was reflected in the scoreline as a brace from James Forrest put them 2-0 up. With 16 minutes to go, Antonio Portales scored to halve the deficit, but Dundee were unable to complete the comeback. Another loss followed, this time 3-1 against St Mirren. Alex Gogic put the visitors ahead just before the break, and the lead was doubled by Scott Tanser shortly after the restart. Toyosi Olusanya added a third to give them a comfortable advantage, though Michael Mellon pulled one back.

Their most recent game was a trip to Hearts, in which they lost 3-0. Kenneth Vargas put the hosts one up before half-time. Alan Forrest and Lawrence Shankland added to their lead in the second half.

Rangers will hope to bounce back from their result against Celtic, and we expect them to do so with a comfortable victory over a struggling Dundee side. They should also keep a clean sheet – Rangers 2-0 Dundee

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Rangers vs Dundee will be available to watch on Sky Sports Football.

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