Aberdeen vs Rangers Predictions
Aberdeen return to Pittodrie on Sunday for a high-profile Premiership contest against an out-of-sorts Rangers side.
The Dons have been in solid form, while Rangers come into the contest on the back of Thursday’s shock Conference League elimination against Jablonec.
Given the circumstances, I fancy the hosts to at least avoid defeat.
Dons Backed to Avoid Defeat
- Aberdeen won 6 of their last 7 matches
- Aberdeen are unbeaten in 4 of their last 5 home matches against Rangers
- Rangers failed to win 5 of their last 7 matches
Rangers Hold the H2H Advantage
Aberdeen and Rangers have met on 20 occasions since 2020. Rangers won 13 of those contests while Aberdeen claimed three victories. Four matches finished as draws.
The Dons usually make life difficult for Rangers at Pittodrie. The hosts are unbeaten in seven of 11 home encounters since 2019.
Aberdeen Look to Build on Dundee Win
Aberdeen return to competitive action after enjoying a free weekend following their 3-0 Premier Sports Cup victory against Dundee two weeks ago.
Stephen Robinson’s side produced an excellent second-half display at Pittodrie, with Kevin Nisbet scoring twice either side of Mitchy Ntelo’s effort.
The Dons dominated the contest, registering ten shots on target while limiting Dundee to just two.
Seven days earlier, Aberdeen had slumped to a 2-0 defeat at Dundee in their first Premiership away fixture of the season.
Still, the Dons have made a decent start to the campaign. Aberdeen have now won six of seven competitive fixtures since the middle of July, including a 2-1 home win against Hearts.
Rangers Reeling After European Exit
Rangers make the trip north after a disastrous Conference League defeat against Czech opponents Jablonec on Thursday.
Following a 1-0 win at Ibrox in the first leg, Derek McInnes’s side slipped to a 1-0 second-leg reversal before eventually losing 4-3 on penalties after extra time.
The Glasgow giants turned in a dreadful display, with only one effort on target recorded in 120 minutes of action.
Thursday’s dismal defeat completed a miserable European campaign for Rangers, who had already been eliminated from Europa League qualifying by Jagiellonia Bialystok earlier this month.
Domestic results have hardly provided much consolation. The Gers opened their Premiership season with a 1-1 draw at Dundee United before slipping to a 2-1 home defeat against Hibernian.
On the road, McInnes’s men have failed to win five of their last six away fixtures and come into this contest already five points behind league leaders Celtic.
Aberdeen vs Rangers Team News
Aberdeen: (4-2-3-1) Marius Muller; Chris Cadden, Lewis Mayo, Daniel Happe, Nesta Guinness-Walker; Connor Ronan, Afeez Aremu; Toyosi Olusanya, Mitchy Ntelo, Tony Yogane; Kevin Nisbet
Head coach Robinson is unable to call on three first-team players this weekend. Brad Lyons, Emmanuel Gyamfi and Kristers Tobers miss out with various injury issues.
Mats Knoester has returned to training and is available again.
Kevin Nisbet should continue in attack after scoring twice against Dundee.
Aberdeen boss Robinson expects another difficult test against Rangers, despite the visitors' recent setbacks.
“It’s another game at home. Another opportunity for us to get three points,” Robinson said.
“We have to make it very much about ourselves, how we approach the game with positivity.
“And as I say, every home game you want to win. So that’s certainly our intention.
“Every time you play Rangers, it’s a difficult game. It doesn’t matter what stage of the season it is and where they are in terms of results.
“You play Rangers, you have to be on top of your game to win the game.”
Rangers: (4-2-3-1) Ivor Pandur; Dujon Sterling, Emmanuel Fernandez, Olwethu Makhanya, James Penrice; Dan Neil, Vanja Dragojevic; Daisuke Yokota, Tochi Chukwuani, Djeidi Gassama; Ryan Naderi
Under-fire boss McInnes could make changes following Thursday’s gruelling 120-minute contest, with Lawrence Shankland and Thelo Aasgaard among those pushing for recalls.
Nico Raskin missed Thursday’s trip to Jablonec amid transfer speculation, while Kim Min Su is available after completing a big-money transfer from Girona.
Rangers remain without Youssef Chermiti, but Ben Godfrey is available after a month-long absence.
Speaking after the defeat in Czechia, McInnes admitted his embarrassment as Rangers crashed out of Europe before the league phase for the first time since 2018.
“I’m mortified by the performance. I know you can lose games of football, but we should have enough in the building to take care of that tonight.”