Preview: Rangers vs St Johnstone
By Joseph Sinke
Today Rangers will be back at Ibrox for Scottish Premiership play against St. Johnstone. The game starts out at 10:00 am EST for those state-side and in Scotland at 3:00 pm. The weather is supposed to be lovely.
St. Johnstone has been solid in league play so far, with eight points through five games. Featuring two wins, two draws, and a single loss and have an even goal differential.
For Rangers, Alfredo Morelos is back in the lineup, as is Nikola Katic after getting a rest against Villareal. Borna Barisic is getting a rest today and will be replaced by John Flannagin.
Celtic just dropped their game in a 2-1 loss to Kilmarnock meaning that a victory today would put Rangers in a tie with Hibernian and Livingston for second in the table. When getting a chance to gain points like that it is important that Rangers capitalize. League leaders Hearts of Midlothian also dropped points with a tie yesterday against Motherwell.
Steven Gerrard will likely continue to give players rest as the games will continue to come fast and furious. Today without Borna Barisic Rangers will be challenged a bit as Flannagin is clearly a step-down. Look for Alfredo Morelos to come out with a fire after missing the game in Spain due to suspension after receiving a red card against FC Ufa in the final Europa League qualifying game.
Ovi Ejaria is not going to be starting today but he is available again after missing the last two matches with a hip problem.
With Nikola Katic back in the lineup, it will be a welcome return for the stout defense that has been the backbone of the side this year. If both Goldson and Katic are not subbed out then both players will maintain a streak of playing every single available minute in league play.