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Derek McInnes calls on Rangers to play with 'aggression' against Aberdeen

Rangers boss Derek McInnes has demanded a response from his side at Pittodrie following Thursday’s European disappointment as they return to Scottish Premiership action.
Aberdeen v Glasgow Rangers - William Hill Premiership 2026/27
Aberdeen v Glasgow Rangers - William Hill Premiership 2026/27 | Ross Parker - SNS Group/GettyImages

Derek McInnes has called on Rangers to produce an immediate response to Thursday night’s Conference League disappointment as they return to Scottish Premiership action against Aberdeen.

The Rangers boss admitted the defeat in Czechia was disappointing but insisted his side cannot afford to dwell on the result with domestic matters now the priority.

“That's exactly what we're looking for, a response,” McInnes told Rangers TV before kick-off at Pittodrie.

“Disappointment, Thursday was clear, but we can’t dwell on that now. We've got to concentrate on domestic matters.

“This is a really important league fixture for us. It's still early on in the campaign, but we want to make sure we can do all we can, bring a performance to get all three points because we know the value of that.

“I think we need to compete first and foremost.

“You're going to have to make sure that you win your duels, you're competitive through midfield. I think that you have to stand up to set plays, these sort of things.”

The Rangers boss also called for discipline from his players, stressing the importance of remaining calm despite the intensity of the fixture.

“We just play with the right amount of aggression,” McInnes added.

“I think it's important that we just play the game and not the fixture.

“The best way for us to feel good about ourselves after Thursday is just to win the game and go home happy, send the fans home happy,” he said.

“They'll expect a better performance as I do, and hopefully we can get that.”

Aberdeen v Glasgow Rangers - William Hill Premiership 2026/27
Aberdeen v Glasgow Rangers - William Hill Premiership 2026/27 | Ross Parker - SNS Group/GettyImages

Min-su handed Rangers debut

There is a starting debut for new signing Kim Min-Su, who arrived from Girona on Thursday and trained with his new team-mates for the first time on Friday.

McInnes revealed he was keen to get the forward involved immediately after seeing enough in training to hand him a starting berth.

“He looks sharp in training,” McInnes said. “We're looking for that extra bit of speed and quality at the top end of the pitch.”

Findlay Curtis also comes into the starting XI, with McInnes viewing the match as an opportunity for the youngster to demonstrate his quality from the beginning rather than as an impact substitute.

Cammy Devlin is another change, with the midfielder coming in immediately after his return to availability following a red card in last Thursday’s first leg against Jablonec at Ibrox.

Connor Barron, meanwhile, remains on the bench after coming on against Jablonec in the second leg.

McInnes praised Barron's contribution after coming on in Czechia but explained that the midfielder's recent lack of match action meant he needed to manage his minutes.

“I was really pleased with Connor Barron, to be honest, when he came on,” McInnes said.

“But Connor played 75 minutes on Thursday. And it's his first bit of football, really, since the start of the season.”

There is also no place still for Nicolas Raskin, with McInnes not commenting on the Belgian’s omission or Ibrox future - read more on his situation here.

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