Steven Gerrard's men must pick themselves up after a disappointing week by claiming three points at Ibrox on Saturday
Rangers play host to Kilmarnock on Saturday in the Scottish Premiership, with the prospect of another trophyless season looming large.
Steven Gerrard’s men tumbled out of the Scottish Cup on Tuesday at the quarter-final stage as they suffered a 2-0 defeat to Aberdeen at Ibrox, and with an eight-point gap to Celtic to bridge in the league, they require a flawless conclusion to the campaign if they are to stand a chance.
Kilmarnock, meanwhile, are battling with Aberdeen for third place and remain one of the division’s trickiest customers.
Squads & Team News
Steven Gerrard has made four changes to his side for the meeting with Kilmarnock, with Nikola Katic, Andy Halliday, Steven Davis and Lassana Coulibaly all being brought in.
Rangers starting XI: McGregor; Tavernier, Katic, Goldson, Halliday; Coulibaly, Davis, Kamara; Candeias, Morelos, Kent.
Subs: Foderingham, Worrall, Barisic, McCrorie, Defoe, Lafferty, Grezda.
Alex Bruce is only fit enough for a place on the bench although midfielder Youssuf Mulumbu is available and starts for Steve Clarke’s men.
Kilmarnock starting XI: Bachmann; O'Donnell, Broadfoot, Findlay, Taylor; Dicker, Mulumbu, Power; Burke, McKenzie, Brophy.
Subs: MacDonald, Bruce, Boyd, McAleny, Millar, Millen, Tshibola.
Betting & Match Odds
Rangers are hot 1/3 favourites with Bet365. Meanwhile, Kilmarnock can be backed at 8/1, while a draw is priced at 4/1.
Match Preview
Rangers manager Steven Gerrard will want a response from his players after they suffered a disheartening 2-0 defeat at the hands of Aberdeen on Tuesday.
The Gers got off to the worst possible start in midweek as they conceded after only three minutes following an error from Glen Kamara and as they chased the game they conceded again just after the hour mark.
With hopes high of a first trophy since 2011, it was a deflating experience for the Ibrox club, with the team booed off by the handful of home supporters still in the stadium at full-time.
“It's a huge blow. This was a huge game for the club,” Gerrard told Rangers TV .
“We've let the supporters down, I take full responsibility for it. We were nowhere near good enough, I thought the best team won.
“We've got no complaints, they deserved it. They've bullied us in certain areas of the pitch, they wanted it more in certain areas of the pitch, which is a major concern.”
Former Rangers striker Kenny Miller, meanwhile, feels that his former club cannot allow their season simply to peter out after their latest disappointment.
“Second spot and the points total that they get this season will signal whether there's been progress,” he told BBC Scotland .
“I don't think you can measure your progress based on what Celtic does or what Aberdeen does. It's got to be what you do. The points that are available, they could get 86 points if they win every game.
“They've got to try and get as many points as possible. If they can bridge the gap that way and they can look at the end of the season that they've got an extra eight, nine points, whatever it is, that's progress.”
Kilmarnock, meanwhile, needed a late goal from Liam Millar last weekend to see off bottom side St Mirren 1-0 in Paisley.
It was a result that manager Steve Clarke felt they deserved and which keeps them in the running for third place.
“The goal was a long time coming. It was nice to see the ball hit the back of the net. We've had a tough run. The boys have put in a lot of effort. I thought that was just reward for their efforts,” he told the BBC .
“It's nice to get within a point of Aberdeen. Hopefully we can close them down, certainly keep in touch with them after the split and see what happens.”
That victory ended a run of eight winless games for Killie, who had failed to even score in their previous five.
Among their setbacks was a 5-0 loss at Ibrox in the Scottish Cup in February, but they won the previous league meeting between the teams 2-1 at Rugby Park.