With one real danger man standing out, we take a look at what Rangers can expect from Kilmarnock on Sunday.
Steven Gerrard will take his charges to Rugby Park in the second round of the Betfred Cup this weekend.
Despite the massive overhaul at Ibrox, with a plethora of new faces coming in, transfer activity at Killie has been minimal.
In recent days, Killie have allowed Lee Erwin to depart for Iran. This is a slight blow to their attacking options as only four players have come into the club over the summer.
Daniel Bachmann, Ross Millen, Stuart Findlay, and Mikael Ndjoli are the new recruits. It’s not names that will strike fear into Rangers, but there’s one that may do.
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Winger Jordan Jones has been a constant menace to Premiership defences since joining Killie back in 2016. The Northern Ireland international has been a constant thorn to the big clubs also.
Since joining Killie, Jones has slammed home multiple goals against Celtic. He has the ability to create a bit of magic from nothing is something the Rangers defence also have to be wary of.
Silencing Jones is the key to beating Kilmarnock. Failure to do so could result in an early disaster at Rugby Park on Sunday.
The style of Steve Clarke’s Killie is also the same as last season. They use Jones as their main outlet, but are noticeably minus Youssouf Mulumbu. The midfield destroyer was known for controlling games and bullying the opposition up in Scotland.
However, despite losing him, it appears Kilmarnock have found a cure. Both Gary Dicker and Alan Power have replaced the powerhouse in the engine room as a partnership. They both play the CDM role, yet both have the ability to push forward and help out the attack.
They don’t control games the way they did last season, but the Ayrshire men are still as solid defensively.
Kilmarnock have kept four consecutive clean sheets and aren’t conceding many chances. This is where the likes of Jamie Murphy and Scott Arfield have to make an impact.
Gaps will be there to be exploited at some stages, but Rangers have to be prepared to be frustrated. Clarke continues to take pride in the organisation of his side, and that defensive style of play adopted last time has returned once again.
It’ll be a difficult test for Gerrard’s Gers, but it’s one they can pass with relative comfort if they keep Jones quiet.