Aiming to distance themselves from the ongoing relegation battle in the Scottish Premiership, Dundee are set to host Rangers at Kilmac Stadium on Thursday night.
The hosts are eighth in the table with 25 points from 21 games, just two points above 11th-placed Hearts, while the visitors are second in the standings with 40 points from 20 outings.
Match preview
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Dundee earned promotion back to the top flight by winning the Scottish Championship title in 2022-23, and after a strong showing back in the Premiership in 2023-24, finishing sixth, they have struggled in the opening half of this campaign.
Tony Docherty, in charge since May 2023, has led the side to just seven wins, four draws and 10 defeats from their first 21 matches of the season, leaving them eighth in the table with 25 points.
Those results mean Dundee are currently embroiled in the ongoing relegation battle in the Scottish Premiership, holding just a two-point lead over 11th-placed Hearts, though the Dee have played a game fewer than those below them.
However, with the layout of the table so close in points at the lower end, a victory here could actually see Dundee move into the top six depending on results elsewhere.
Their recent form has taken a slight upturn, with the Dee winning two of their last three fixtures, leaving them with improved confidence, but a matchup with second-placed Rangers could prove challenging.
The Gers endured a difficult start to the season, with a string of poor results putting pressure on Philippe Clement's position at the club, but recent successes have eased speculation around the manager.
After a defeat to Aberdeen at the end of October, Rangers went on to remain undefeated in their following nine outings before dramatically losing on penalties to Celtic in the Scottish League Cup final.
They bounced back with a 1-0 win against Thursday's opponents in the reverse fixture before underwhelmingly losing to St Mirren, but they have since drawn two and won one of their last three, including a fantastic 3-0 win against Celtic in the league.
The Gers will be slightly disappointed by squandering a two-goal lead against Hibernian in their last outing, ultimately drawing 3-3, meaning they will be desperate to secure a win here.
Rangers have been dominant in this fixture in recent years, remaining undefeated against Dundee in their last 15 meetings across all competitions, securing 13 wins in that time.
Team News
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Dundee will be without the services of Joe Shaughnessy (knee), Scott Fraser (groin) and Ziyad Larkeche (hamstring) due to ongoing injury issues, though all three should return later this month.
After defeating St Johnstone 3-1 in their most recent outing, Docherty could opt to name a similar starting side for this one, with goalscorers Simon Murray and Sebastian Palmer-Houlden likely to start.
As for Rangers, they are set to be without the availability of several first-team players due to injury issues, including Jack Butland, James Tavernier, Jack Souttar, Neraysho Kasanwirjo and Tom Lawrence.
Hamza Igamane scored a hat-trick in the 3-3 draw with Hibernian in the last match, and the striker is expected to keep his place in the 11 ahead of Cyriel Dessers.
Dundee possible starting lineup:
Carson; Astley, Robertson, Graham; Mulligan, Cameron, Sylla, Tiffoney; Palmer-Houlden, Adewumi; Murray
Rangers possible starting lineup:
Kelly; Yilmaz, King, Propper, Jefte; Diomande, Raskin; Cerny, Bajrami, Hagi; Igamane
We say: Dundee 1-3 Rangers
Dundee may be enjoying an improved run of form heading into this match, but Rangers are undoubtedly the favourites to secure the victory, and with their recent superiority over the hosts, we expect the visitors to win here.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Ellis Stevens
