Rangers are heading to Aberdeen to play the Pittodrie club’s Cup Final and the travelling Gers support will be hoping to ruin their Scottish Premiership weekend.
The Dons are up to third off the back of a major Hearts collapse and have – in their usually unbecoming style – been stoking the fire between the SFA and referees heading into this game.
How they can be releasing statement after statement about Graeme Shinnie’s red card appeal being upheld, despite it clearly being a red card, has raised suspicious about the club’s motives.
You can’t blame them for trying to build a siege mentality heading into the only game that matters to their tinpot support – it’s all they have after all – but from the outside looking in they look petty and classless.
Graeme Shinnie will now sit out another game for their own stupidity in appealing the clear red card as the Rangers clash marks the Aberdeen midfielder’s first of four games out.
Rangers boss Michael Beale branded the Dons the third best club in the country upon arrival in Scotland and is being somewhat proven correct going by recent results.
But anything less than victory ahead of next week’s must-win Scottish Cup semi-final against Celtic will see the knives sharpened for a squad already in the blood raged eyeline of the baying Ibrox support.
Too many in this team have failed to deliver when it really matters for Rangers and as they look towards the exit door this summer, a comprehensive victory at Pittodrie will go some way to winning them back favour amongst a disillusioned Ibrox support.
We’re backing Allan McGregor to start between the sticks with a defence of James Tavernier, John Souttar, Ben Davies and Borna Barisic in front of him.
In midfield, we suspect John Lundstram, Ryan Jack and Todd Cantwell will be given the nod, with a front three of Fashion Sakala, Alfredo Morelos and Malik Tillman completing the line up.
Rangers predicted XI v Aberdeen – 4-3-3
GK – Allan McGregor
DR – James Tavernier
DC – John Souttar
DC – Ben Davies
DL – Borna Barisic
CDM – Ryan Jack
CM – John Lundstram
CM – Todd Cantwell
RF – Malik Tillman
ST – Alfredo Morelos
LF – Fashion Sakala