Rangers will start their promotion bid on Friday when they host St Mirren in their opening match of the new Scottish Championship campaign.

The Saints will also be looking to return to the top tier this season after suffering relegation last term.

Rangers

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Following the disappointment of last season's playoffs, there is renewed optimism around Ibrox Stadium as Rangers look to get back to the top flight of Scottish football.

New manager Mark Warburton has guided the team to two wins from his first two competitive games in charge, including a 6-2 hammering of Hibernian in the Scottish Challenge Cup.

The former Brentford boss has also been busy in the transfer window this summer, bringing in a total of 10 new faces to Glasgow.

Warburton has suggested that more signings will be made before deadline day, but one player who continues to evade him is Hibs midfielder Scott Allan. The Gers have had two bids for the 23-year-old turned down, though it would be a surprise if they do not remain persistent in their pursuit of the player.

The manager's rebuilding at Ibrox has also been made evident by the fact that 17 players, including the likes of Lee McCulloch, Kris Boyd and Bilel Mohsni, have been let go by the club in recent weeks.

Rangers' objective this season is simple: get back to the Scottish Premiership. Beating the Saints on Friday could set an important tone for the remainder of the campaign.

Recent form (all competitions): LWW

St Mirren

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St Mirren's nine-year stay in the top flight of Scottish football was ended last season as they finished 11 points adrift of safety at the bottom of the Premiership table.

The Buddies endured a miserable campaign, losing 26 and winning just nine of the 38 games that they played.

A disappointing pre-season has done little to lift spirits around the club, with three defeats and a draw coming in four friendlies this summer. However, there was some cheer in the Scottish Challenge Cup thanks to a 3-1 victory over Berwick Rangers.

While wins have been hard to come by in the past few weeks, manager Ian Murray has backed his players to make a serious bid for promotion this season.

"The gulf between ourselves and Hibs and Rangers isn't as great as people think," he recently told BBC Sport. "It's all about the start. Look at Hearts' start last season - nobody could catch them. We feel that at Christmas we will need to re-evaluate what we think we can do and, if we need to, invest in the squad."

Murray has had to be shrewd in the transfer market this summer, with six new players replacing 14 that have left. One new arrival at the club is striker Calum Gallagher from Rangers, who will be hoping to make an impact against his former club on Friday.

Recent form (all competitions): DLLWL

Team News

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Both sides are understood to have no fresh injury concerns ahead of the match.

Summer signings James Tavernier, Martyn Waghorn and Rob Kiernan could all feature for the home side.

Calum Gallagher could go straight into the St Mirren starting lineup following his move from Rangers.

Rangers possible starting lineup:
Bell; Tavernier, Kiernan, Wilson, Wallace; Shiels, Halliday, Law; Clark, Waghorn, Templeton

St Mirren possible starting lineup:
Ridgers; Naismith, Kelly, Conlan, Goodwin; Carswell, Howieson, Gow, Agnew, McLear; Gallagher

Head To Head

Rangers have been dominant in this fixture down the years, earning 181 victories against St Mirren. The Saints have recorded 33 wins of their own, while 51 draws have also been played out. When it comes to recent encounters, the Gers have been largely on top with 12 wins from the last 15 meetings. St Mirren's last triumph at Ibrox Stadium was in 1992.

We say: Rangers 2-0 St Mirren

While there is sure to be plenty of pressure on Rangers for their first game of the new league season, Mark Warburton has instilled enough optimism in the squad to see them get off to a winning start. The new manager also has big-game experience and is likely to provide his players with confidence and calmness ahead of the match. St Mirren will feel as if they have a point to prove after going down last term, though the deck could be stacked against them at Ibrox.

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