Rangers return to action after the Scottish winter break with a trip to Dumbarton in the Scottish Cup fourth round.
At a time when Rangers sit in second position in the Scottish Premiership standings, Dumbarton occupy fourth spot in League Two.
Match preview
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Having suffered defeat to Celtic before the end of 2023, Philippe Clement would have had few complaints in having Rangers enjoy a break from action after a relentless period of games.
A seven-game winning streak had preceded the Old Firm disappointment, yet the setback has the potential to be pivotal now that Rangers sit eight points adrift of their rivals.
Beating St Johnstone by a 3-1 scoreline before the break in action was key in keeping Rangers within touching distance, but Clement will welcome the opportunity to get back up to speed in a fixture such as this one.
Friendlies have been played against Hertha Berlin and Copenhagen to maintain fitness levels, although sharpness should be regained against opponents who will most likely sit deep.
With the Scottish League Cup already in the bag, Rangers will want an extended run in this tournament to maintain hope of securing a domestic treble.
From Dumbarton's perspective, this is the type of money-spinning game that every team below the top flight craves at this stage of the competition.
Victories over Banks O'Dee and Annan Athletic have been recorded so far, both in dramatic circumstances with a 3-2 triumph over the former being followed by a 5-4 success after extra time versus the latter.
Stephen Farrell's side have been far from impressive of late, though, with just two points being accumulated from a possible 12 in the fourth tier.
A massive 18 points separates Dumbarton to leaders Stenhousemuir, leaving the Sons looking to close down the four-point gap to second place instead.
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Team News
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After a near three-week gap between games, it would come as little surprise if the Rangers XI was similar to the one that started against St Johnstone on January 2.
However, with Kieran Dowell having picked up an injury during the club's mid-season training camp, Dujon Sterling could start if he recovers from a knock of his own.
Fabio Silva may have to remain patient in his bid to secure a first start since his loan switch from Wolverhampton Wanderers.
With goalkeeper Jay Hogarth not able to face his parent club, Harry Broun or Patrick O'Neil will deputise between the sticks.
That may prove to be the only change unless Farrell makes the decision to go with a more defensive-minded approach.
Dumbarton possible starting lineup:
Broun; Pignatiello, Newbury, Crighton, Shiels; Wallace, Malcolm, Gray, Orsi; Hilton; Byrne
Rangers possible starting lineup:
Butland; Tavernier, Goldson, Souttar, Yilmaz; Sterling, Lundstram, Cantwell; McCausland, Dessers, Sima
We say: Dumbarton 0-3 Rangers
While a break may lead to some rustiness from Rangers, the likelihood of Clement selecting a strong side decreases the chances of an upset. Although we expect Dumbarton to have their moments, Rangers should still ultimately cruise to victory.
Data Analysis
Our analysis of all available data, including recent performances and player stats up until an hour before kickoff, suggested the most likely outcome of this match was a Rangers win with a probability of 75.48%. A draw had a probability of 15% and a win for Dumbarton had a probability of 9.51%.
The most likely scoreline for a Rangers win was 0-2 with a probability of 11.06%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 0-3 (9.58%) and 1-2 (9.08%). The likeliest drawn scoreline was 1-1 (6.99%), while for a Dumbarton win it was 2-1 (2.87%). The actual scoreline of 1-4 was predicted with a 5.1% likelihood. Our team at Sports Mole and our data analysis both correctly predicted that Rangers would win this match.
Darren Plant
