Rangers Form Guide

Using the Falkirk v Rangers Match Stats on Andy’s Bet Club, we can see that the Gers come into this match off the back of three successive victories. Indeed, they are undefeated in 11 in normal time, with their last loss coming in a Europa League dead rubber against Porto. They have won under 50% of their away league games, though, posting seven wins from 15.

 4-2 Win vs Dundee United (H) – Premiership

4-1 Win vs Aberdeen (H) – Premiership

1-0 Win vs St Mirren (A) –Premiership

0-0 Draw (lost 4-2 on penalties) vs Celtic (H) – Scottish Cup

2-2 Draw vs Celtic (A) – Premiership

Rangers’ Recent League Matches:

Rangers v Dundee United

Rangers were rampant offensively in a 4-2 win over Dundee United at Ibrox, which was a result that accurately reflected the balance of the game. The Gers created a hefty 4.1xG but faced 1.36, highlighting the fact that while they do carry a massive threat going forward, they can also be exploited at the back.

Left-back Tuur Rommens has been highlighted as an important figure in Rohl’s renaissance at Ibrox. Still, even in the absence of the left-back due to injury last weekend, they were able to fashion 19 shots – well above their season average of 13.8. It prompted the Gers to focus their attacking efforts down the right, with 20 of their 43 attacks going down that flank. However, 74% of their xG was created through the middle.

Thelo Aasgaard was particularly influential. He had four shots, one goal, and 80% pass competition in an impressive display.

For half an hour, though, Rangers were frustrated, with just two efforts in the first 30 minutes. After Ryan Naderi opened the scoring, they cut loose, with 11 efforts and 2 more goals coming between the 40th and 69th minutes.

One impressive aspect of Rangers’ performance was how close they were able to get to goal to shoot: their average shot distance was just 14.33m.

Also noteworthy was the impact of the Ibrox side’s substitutes. Bojan Miovski came off the bench to score, while Djeidi Gassama and Youssef Chermiti both supplied assists.

Rangers v Aberdeen

Rangers cruised to a 4-1 victory over Aberdeen at Ibrox, but it was interesting that they seemed to lose their grip on the match in the second period, despite three of their goals arriving after the break. Indeed, their possession share dropped from 69% in the first half to 43% in the second half.

Aberdeen had a big change in their approach in the second half, pushing up the field and pressing with more intensity. As their average formation line rose from 34.6m to 45.4m, their passes allowed per defensive action (PPDA) dropped from 42 in the first half to 11.4 in the second.  This saw Rangers lose control of the ball, going long with twice as much frequency, and their attacks dropped from 0.6 per minute to 0.35 in the second half, but ultimately it made no difference to the outcome.

Another notable fact was that Rangers comprehensively outmuscled a Stephen Robinson side. At St Mirren, his side’s approach was robust. Here, the Gers outcompeted them to win 53% of duels.

Once more, the Ibrox side were dangerous through the middle, with 65% of their xG arriving from attacks that went down the heart of the field. Indeed, they balanced these evenly with raids down the left, with 19 each through these sectors, and just eight coming from the right.

Rangers’ One to Watch:

Nicolas Raskin: The midfielder continues to be a leading figure for Rangers, and while noted for his tenacity in the heart of the field, he also provides them with a good deal going forward. Indeed, the Belgium international leads the Gers with six assists for the season, while he also posts 4.96xG for the season – 3rd at the club behind Chermiti and penalty taker James Tavernier. Raskin leads Rangers with 2.4 tackles per game but has also picked up six yellow cards.

Final Thoughts:

Rangers have really been producing the goods in recent weeks to turn up the pressure on Hearts at the top of the table. In their last eight matches, they have scored an impressive 23 goals. Most remarkably, this is an underperformance on their xG on this period, which stands at 23.51, suggesting that this form is sustainable.

Unsurprisingly, their shot count has been high over this period. In six of these games, they have outperformed their season average of 15.34 shots, with the exceptions being the trip to Motherwell and the home clash against Celtic.

What has really been game-changing for the Gers has been their ability to get close to the opposing goal to fashion opportunities. Across each of their last eight games, their average shot distance has been below 17m, which is an outrageously low value.

Equally, there are issues defensively. Rangers have conceded two goals in four of their last six games, although the shot count against them has rarely been high. Jack Butland has conceded nine goals from the last 19 shots on target he has faced in the league – not a statistic he will be proud of.

At times earlier this season, Rangers limped to results, which is why they sit on 66 points with an expected points tally of 54.9. Those days seem to be behind Danny Rohl’s men, who are coming into their own at the crucial point of the campaign.

The Bairns have two draws in their two previous outings against the Gers, but this is a far stronger unit they now face.

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