Rangers’ stats vs Ayr United are as impressive and one-sided as you could possibly imagine. There’s one, however, that stands out.
Steven Gerrard will take his in-form Gers side to the Betfred Cup quarter-finals on Wednesday against Ian McCall’s Ayr. Whilst Gerrard has made it a priority to respect every opponent they’re up against, Ayr’s chances of success are minimal.
The big stat that throws itself out to you is that Ayr United have only ever won twice at Ibrox. Their last victory was in 1960, and the other was 103 years ago during 1915. This is despite the fact that both sides have played each other in Govan on 46 occasions.
Rangers have fairly recent memories of the Championship side also. Going back several different managers ago, Ally McCoist’s Gers frequently faced Ayr in the lower divisions.
During the spell Rangers spent in the lower leagues, they came up against Ayr on five occasions. Despite the troubles Rangers often had during those turbulet years, they won all five of those matches. Even more impressive is the fact that the Gers only conceded one goal to United.
The hammering of last season
Of course, more recently, fans will remember the hammering Rangers gave United last season. The Gers were sent there in the Scottish Cup fifth round, and found themselves 1-0 down to Alan Forrest’s early goal.
It was a match more remembered for an incredible Alfredo Morelos miss more than anything else. But Rangers still managed to hammer home six goals and put in a decent display against McCall’s side. Morelos bagged a doubel that day and will have Ayr in his sights once more.
The goalscoring potential in this Rangers side at the moment is frighteningly high. That should bode well for Wednesday night considering the Gers have scored in their last 27 meetings with Ayr. That’s part of a larger run of just one game in their last 46 where Rangers have failed to score against the Honest Men.
United can’t be underestimated however. Even compared to last season, Ayr are a much better side under McCall after promotion from League One. They’re the early pace-setters in the Scottish Championship, are are in a confident mood.
The stats, as usual these days, are heavily on Rangers’ side. Nothing points to anything other than a convincing Rangers win. It’s down to Gerrard and his troops to show why that’s the case and book themselves their first trip to Hampden under the new man.
