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Rangers have won eight of nine unbeaten games in all competitions under Giovanni van Bronckhorst to date, with only a dead rubber trip to runaway group leaders Lyon in the Europa League failing to yield maximum points.
Clean sheets are firmly back on the agenda with just two goals conceded across this spell, as six of these games finished either 1-0 or 2-0. They’ve shut their opponents out in six consecutive league games now, and it remains to be seen if Leon Balogun can reclaim his place at centre-back with Calvin Bassey impressing in recent fixtures alongside Connor Goldson.
Rangers have a strong squad to choose from, with the only absentees those of Joe Aribo and Fashion Sakala, both of whom are at the Africa Cup of Nations, while Nathan Patterson was sold to Everton.
Sakala and Patterson both added great depth to the squad, but Aribo is the big loss as the Nigerian had become a key player for Rangers and was in especially good form since van Bronckhorst’s arrival.
Rangers To Win And Under 2.5 Goals
Aribo has four goals and three assists across the Gers’ past eight league games, so they will be denied a little of their usual creativity. However, it’s not as though they are reliant upon the 25-year-old, and the likes of Alfredo Morelos and Ryan Kent in particular should ensure they’re not short on firepower.
Having won four of five unbeaten encounters with Aberdeen since the start of last season, Rangers should expect to take another win here, especially when considering how Aberdeen have struggled this term.
Stephen Glass’ side did see a marked increase in their form just prior to the extended winter break. Having gone a dismal W2-D3-L11 in all competitions from mid-August until the end of November, the month of December brought about four victories and just the solitary, narrow defeat.
However, it’s worth noting that each win came over teams in the bottom five of the table, with a five-point gap having opened up between seventh-placed Dundee United and Livingston in eighth.
Across all competitions, 11 of Aberdeen’s 13 defeats this season have finished either 1-0, 2-0 or 2-1, but given they’re unlikely to breach the Gers’ rock-solid backline, the first two of those scorelines appear the most probable outcomes.
PREDICTION:
RANGERS TO WIN AND UNDER 2.5 GOALS
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