Rangers vs Motherwell: Prediction, Preview & Betting Tips

Rangers got off to a disappointing start in their opening game, as they were unable to break down Hearts in a goalless draw. They are looking to win their first league title since 2021, hoping to stop Celtic from winning a fourth consecutive trophy.

To avoid falling to an early point deficit, they will need to win to keep pace. We are backing them to do so with three points against a Motherwell team also looking to record their first victory. The hosts have won five of the last six meetings, with Motherwell failing to keep a clean sheet in the last 20 matchups. Therefore, expect a comfortable victory for the Gers. They also tend to get off to strong starts in this fixture, scoring first in six of the last eight.

Look for Rangers captain James Tavernier to make an impact offensively, the right back scored 17 goals last season with 0.8 shots on target per game. He is being backed to record at least one shot on target here - Rangers 2-0 Motherwell

Rangers host Motherwell in their first home game of the campaign looking to get back to winning ways after dropping points in their first outing. They will play this game at Hampden Park, with construction work occurring at Ibrox.

Date: 10/08/24

Kick-off time: 15:00

Venue: Hampden Park

A goalless draw at Hearts opened up the season for Rangers as they faced an early setback in their pursuit for a first league title since 2021. With Celtic’s win, they already trail the champions by two points and will want to avoid risking that gap growing further just two weeks into the season.

The hosts are looking to build on a season last year in which they finished runners up by eight points, unable to keep up with Celtic’s stellar form. They came into this year on the back of a poor pre-season, failing to pick up a win in their four friendly fixtures, meaning they were unable to build some much needed momentum. They conceded two goals in each game and scored six, though four of those came against Union Berlin. Despite keeping a clean sheet against Hearts, they still allowed 19 attempts and three on target.

Motherwell could prove more dangerous, and provide a threat against a defence which could be vulnerable. The visitors also started their season with a goalless draw, against Ross County. Last season they finished eighth, before ending third in the relegation group. They were led by top scorer Theo Bair, who netted 15 times, but he has since left the club. To replace him, they brought in Apostolos Stamatelopoulos from the Newcastle Jets, where he scored 17 goals in 25 games last season, so he will be one to keep an eye on. As a team, they will hope for a better campaign this time around, but face the prospect of no wins from their first two.

James Tavernier was Rangers’ top scorer last year with 17 goals. The captain is also their penalty taker but also provides an excellent attacking threat from right back. Cyriel Dessers also contributed greatly with 16 goals.

Since 2022, these two sides have met eight times in the Scottish Premiership. Unsurprisingly, Rangers have been the superior team winning six of these games and losing one. However, their one defeat came in the most recent game at the end of last season as they lost 2-1 at home. Bair opened the scoring early for he visitors, before Tavernier equalised from the penalty spot. Dan Casey scored the winner shortly after.

Rangers vs Motherwell will not be available to watch on TV in the UK.

Rangers

Dujon Sterling missed out on the opening game as he struggles with an injury, therefore his availability is in doubt. Summer signing Connor Barron made his first competitive start last week whilst Vaclav Cerny was a substitute. Both will hope to be involved once more. Todd Cantwell is almost certain to miss out again as he seeks a move away from the club.

Motherwell

Motherwell have a few injuries to contend with, including Callum Slattery, Harry Paton and Sam Nicholson who missed the first game. New signing Johnny Koutroumbis was also absent, but Ross Callachan came off the bench following his injury.

Rangers:

In their last five games, Rangers have drawn two and lost three. It was a very difficult pre-season for last season’s Scottish Premiership runners-up, and their inconsistencies continued as they began this campaign with a goalless draw away at Hearts.

This came following three losses in four friendly fixtures. Their preparations began with a game against Dutch side Ajax, where they fell to a 2-1 defeat. All of the goals came in the first half as the hosts netted either side of a Tom Lawrence equaliser. A similar result followed against Manchester United, as they lost 2-0. Amad Diallo and Joe Hugill scored in each half for the Red Devils.

Their losing streak continued against Birmingham City, as they again were beaten 2-1, but they snapped this run with a thrilling 4-4 draw against Union Berlin in Germany to end their pre-season. Lawrence and Cyriel Dessers both bagged braces.

Motherwell:

In their last five games, Motherwell have won two and drawn three. Motherwell opened up their league campaign with a goalless draw against Ross County to kick their season off with a point.

The majority of their pre-season preparation came in the form of Scottish League Cup action, as they took part in the group stages. This run began with a comfortable 3-0 win over Edinburgh City. Kofi Balmer, Dan Casey and Stephen O’Donnell were on the scoresheet. They followed this with two draws in the next three, the first being at Montrose. They drew 1-1 before winning 5-4 on penalties. A 0-0 draw with Partick Thistle resulted in a 3-1 loss on spot-kicks.

Between these two games was another victory, this time at Clyde, as they won 3-1. Moses Ebiye, Lennon Miller and Filip Stuparevic got the goals.

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