The two teams head into this match with only two points separating them, with Rangers sitting in 8th and Falkirk in 11th.Rangers have also had the added challenge of Europa League football over the past two midweeks, and following their away defeat to Sturm Graz on Thursday, some rotation to their lineup could be seen for this match.
Rangers’ Form Guide
Using the Falkirk vs Rangers Match Stats on Andy’s Bet Club, we can see that Rangers picked up their first league win of the season last weekend against Livingston. Before that, they had gone five games without a victory, recording four draws and one defeat, marking their worst start to a league campaign in 47 years.
- 1–2 Loss vs Sturm Graz (A) – Europa League
- 1–2 Win vs Livingston (A) – Premiership
- 0–1 Loss vs Genk (H) – Europa League
- 2–0 Win vs Hibernian (H) – League Cup
- 0–2 Loss vs Hearts (H) – Premiership
Rangers’ Recent League Matches:
Despite dominating possession with 66.9%, Rangers only managed slightly more shots than Livingston, showing they struggled at times to stop their opponents from creating opportunities.
Looking deeper, however, the quality of those chances tells a different story. Livingston’s efforts averaged just 0.04 xG per shot compared to 0.16 for Rangers, highlighting how most of the opportunities they created were low quality, despite Rangers conceding several attempts.
It is also worth noting that Rangers had a penalty saved in this match, which slightly skews the data, but even without it, they would still hold a clear xG advantage.
A key factor in Rangers’ better chances was their passing in advanced areas. Their progressive and forward pass accuracy stood at 78%, far higher than Livingston’s 58% and 61%. This precision allowed Rangers to register more than double the touches inside the opposition’s box and to create better shooting opportunities, reflected in their average shot distance of 16.8 metres, compared to Livingston’s 21.2.
Rangers vs Hearts
Rangers again dominated possession in this match; however, they did not manage to win and ended up with the same number of shots as Hearts.
This highlights Rangers’ main issue in this game, which was their finishing. They matched Hearts in both total shots and shots on target and their average shot distance was also 19.7 metres, only marginally further than Hearts’ 19.5, showing there was very little difference in the quality of chances created between the two sides.
Rangers were again far more accurate than their opponents with their forward and progressive passing. However, in this match they struggled to convert this into meaningful attacking positions, managing only one more touch inside the penalty area than Hearts.
Defensively, Rangers were forced into relying on a high number of clearances, making 24 in total, more than double Hearts’ 11. However, they did restrict Hearts from having long spells on the ball, allowing them just 2.4 passes per possession before losing it.
Rangers’ One to Watch:
Djeidi Gassama: The summer signing has impressed in Europe, but is still waiting for his first league goal since joining Rangers in the summer.
Despite that, he has been one of Rangers’ more dangerous players in league matches. He averages 5.5 touches in the opposition box per game, wins 2.4 fouls per match, and takes around two shots per game.
Final Thoughts:
Although Falkirk are likely to face a similar number of shots as they have been used to this season (12 on average for Rangers, compared to 13 for Falkirk’s opponents), these efforts are likely to come from further out. Rangers’ average shot distance is 21 metres, whereas Falkirk’s opponents have averaged just 15.7.
This contrast was seen clearly in Rangers’ match against Livingston, where they limited their opponents to low-danger efforts from distance (21.2 metres on average).
Falkirk, however, have shown the opposite tendency, with their own shots coming from closer range at an average of 15.7 metres.
To restrict Rangers’ attacking threat, Falkirk may need to mirror what other teams have done successfully this season. Rangers’ opponents have conceded less than a goal per game by making a high number of interceptions (45 on average) and dominating aerial duels, winning 51% compared to Rangers’ 44%.
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