Rangers match preview
Livi head for Govan on Saturday to take on Steven Gerrard’s Rangers for the second time this season in the Ladbrokes Premiership.
Gary Holt’s side will travel to Ibrox for the first time since January 2016 knowing that they will face a Rangers side out for revenge after Dolly Menga’s goal gave the Lions a 1-0 win at the Tony Macaroni Arena back in September.
Rangers were struggling on the road at the time of our last encounter but are a different proposition on home soil, scoring 22 goals for the loss of just four during a run of six unbeaten league matches.
So with that in mind, let’s look ahead to the big match!
How have the Ibrox side fared since that defeat in September?
Steven Gerrard’s side have played nine matches since coming a cropper in West Lothian, winning five and losing just two.
Their run started with a pair of impressive home wins, seeing off Rapid Vienna 3-1 in the Europa League in the Thursday night before ending Hearts’ unbeaten start in the Premiership by the same scoreline three days later.
Gers then picked up their first away league win the following week with a 4-1 win at Hamilton courtesy of three goals in the final six minutes, including two penalties.
A goalless home draw with Spartak Moscow was then followed by one of the most disappointing results of Gerrard’s tenure as they suffered a 1-0 defeat to Aberdeen in the Betfred Cup Semi Final at Hampden. A forgettable six days was rounded off by a 1-1 draw at home to Kilmarnock.
Having gone all season without one, Gers won a second consecutive away league game with a 2-0 win at St Mirren before their club-record unbeaten European run was ended in an extraordinary match in Moscow as, despite leading three times, they suffered a 4-3 defeat to Spartak.
Motherwell were the unfortunate side on the end of the backlash from that result as Rangers handed them a 7-1 mailing to leave the Lions in no doubt as to the challenge they face tomorrow!
What have the two bosses had to say about tomorrow’s match?
While acknowledging the challenge his side faces, Livi boss Gary Holt was bullish about his side’s chances of an upset, saying: “In Scottish football you get to play each other quite a bit, so you can’t focus on what you’ve done before.
“It can allow you to show the players where we did hurt them previously and where Rangers caused us problems. But we’re away from home this time and we have to go there and stand up to the test.”
“At Ibrox, Rangers are scoring a lot of goals and they are certainly a different beast. It will take a different kind of performance to last time, of course it will. We’ll have to be braver, we’ll have to stand up and be counted.
“We’re not going there to be lambs to the slaughter. We want to implement our game plan, score goals and win the game. We’re not going there for a point… we’re going for three.”
Rangers manager Steven Gerrard knows his side are in for a tough game as they look to avenge September’s defeat, saying: “They will be hard to play against, compact and have that low block, be quite direct and be quite physical.
“We believe the game is about us, what we do and how we approach it, and we are going there in confident mood and we can’t wait for the game.”
Is there any team news ahead of the big game?
Ryan Hardie is edging ever closer to a first-team return for Livi but is ineligible for tomorrow’s match under the terms of his loan deal from Rangers. Long-term absentees Lee Miller and Raffaele De Vita remain our while Dolly Menga is suspended.
Rangers welcome back Connor Goldson after illness but will be without Ryan Kent and Borna Barisic, who hasn’t featured since the September defeat at the Tony Macaroni Arena. Graham Dorrans and Jamie Murphy remain out with long-term injuries.
What chance an away win?
League sponsors Ladbrokes don’t fancy Livi’s chances all that much, making us a 10/1 shot for a first-ever win at Ibrox. The hosts are 3/10 to take the three points with a draw 21/5.
Two draws are the best Livi have managed in their thirteen previous visits, with a repeat of the goalless draw from 2001 available at 14/1 or a 1-1 draw, as we earned in 2015, priced at 9/1.
Can I get a ticket?
There is a final opportunity to get your hands on a ticket for the match, with stadium reception open from 9am to 1pm tomorrow morning. There will be no match day ticket sales at Ibrox for away fans.
I’ve got my ticket, how do I go about getting there?
There are still a limited number of seats left on the second Livi Lions Supporters Club bus to Ibrox tomorrow – click here for full details.
If travelling by train, you should change at either Glasgow Queen Street or Partick for the Glasgow Subway to Ibrox. Fans planning to take the train should note that there will likely be long queues for the Subway after the match.
If you’re taking the car, exit the M8 at Junction 23 and follow signs for Ibrox.
I can’t make the game, how can I keep up to date?
As ever, we will have live text commentary over on our Twitter from around 2.30pm. Highlights can be seen on Sportscene at 6pm on Sunday.
We look forward to seeing you at Ibrox tomorrow!