After suffering a surprise defeat on the opening day of the season, Rangers will be aiming to get back to winning ways immediately when they host Livingston on Saturday.

The hosts currently sit in 10th place, while the visitors find themselves in eighth after a goalless draw to kick-start the 2023-24 campaign.

Match preview

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Rangers are hoping to place pressure onto their Old Firm rivals this season when it comes to the title race, but they got off to a nightmare start last weekend when they suffered a shock 1-0 defeat against Kilmarnock.

A 65th-minute goal from Brad Lyons proved to be enough on the day, with the Gers failing to make the most of their possession or the 18 shots they had throughout the game.

Despite that loss, Michael Beale's men reacted positively in midweek when they competed in the first leg of third qualifying round in the Champions League against Servette.

Goals from James Tavernier and Cyriel Dessers in the opening 15 minutes blew away their opponents as they secured a 2-1 lead, keeping their hopes of a European journey alive this season.

With a positive result behind them, the focus will immediately shift back to league football as Rangers are already having to make up ground against the other teams in the title hunt.

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For the visitors, it was a goalless draw against Aberdeen to kick-start proceedings this time around in what proved to be a very competitive back-and-forth match.

Ultimately, a point was a fair result on the day and there were plenty of positives for Livingston to take away, mainly the clean sheet which they will be hoping to continue.

Considering only two teams had worse goal difference than them last season, one of which was relegated side Dundee United, a focus on improving that side of the game is going to be crucial for the Lions if they want to progress this season.

David Martindale's men are enjoying a great run of form at the moment as they are three games without a loss in all competitions, putting plenty of confidence into the group.

Livingston's last defeat in 90 minutes took place on the final day of the previous campaign, and considering the impressive pre-season and strong Scottish League Cup performances, the Lions will have belief they can cause Rangers problems this weekend.

Team News

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Dessers managed to score his first goal for the club in midweek and that should bring a new level of confidence to the forward as he is expected to lead the line on Saturday.

Ryan Jack, Todd Cantwell and Danilo were all brought into the starting lineup for the Gers for the midweek Champions League fixture, and considering the positive result they could all end up finding themselves in the team once again.

Michael Devlin is likely going to remain a key part of the defensive structure for Livingston this weekend, as he has been from the moment he signed for the club.

Following a positive performance last weekend, it would not be a surprise to see Martindale opt for the exact same team to continue their momentum.

Rangers possible starting lineup:
Butland; Tavernier, Goldson, Souttar, Barisic; Cantwell, Raskin, Jack; Lammers, Dessers, Danilo

Livingston possible starting lineup:
George; M. Devlin, Obileye, Parkes; Montano, A. Shinnie, Holt, Penrice; Anderson, Guthrie, Kelly

We say: Rangers 2-0 Livingston

Livingston might have enjoyed a positive pre-season and a good Scottish League Cup campaign, but Rangers are likely to be too strong for them in this match.

The Gers will be desperate to put their recent defeat behind them, therefore there will be pressure on the hosts to get back to winning ways.

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