Derek McInnes will take charge of his debut competitive match as Rangers manager tomorrow evening as the Gers kick off their Scottish Premiership campaign away to Jim Goodwin’s Dundee United.
McInnes will be in the dugout despite a three-match suspension from the SFA for post-match comments made during his time as Hearts manager, this is due to Rangers current appeal of the punishment.
Several new signings are in line to make their debuts for the Ibrox club, but fitness doubts remain over some members of McInnes’s squad.
When is Dundee United vs Rangers?
The match takes place tomorrow, Friday 31 July 2026 at 20:00 GMT.
The travel details for the match are as follows: Tannadice Park, Tannadice Street, Dundee, DD3 7JW
Is Dundee United vs Rangers on TV and will I be able to live stream the match?
Yes. The match will be broadcast live on Sky Sports, with coverage of the season opener from 19:00 GMT.
The match will also be broadcast via NOW TV.
Team news
McInnes has delivered a positive fitness update ahead of the fixture, with Thelo Aasgaard expected to be available despite coming off against West Ham.
The midfielder trained on Thursday morning after suffering a shoulder issue during the pre-season friendly, with McInnes confirming the injury is not causing any lasting problems.
"Thelo trained this morning," McInnes said. "He obviously came off on Sunday against West Ham, but the shoulder's not causing him any discomfort. He'll train fully again tomorrow and obviously all okay for the game."
McInnes also revealed Cammy Devlin has been managing a minor calf problem but is expected to return to full training.
"Cammy’s had a little calf knock, but he'll fully train tomorrow," he explained. "We've just resisted him making contact. He's been doing some work with the physios and some ball work on his own."
The Rangers boss added that only a small number of players remain unavailable. Connor Barron is out with a small problem, teenager Ashton Scally is out after missing pre-season due to an injury and forgotten man Jose Cifuentes is unavailable after undergoing surgery.
"Connor Barron's a wee bit behind," McInnes said. "He's only had seven or eight days of pre-season. Connor's had a little knee niggle. We didn't allow him to do the pre-season before we went to Spain.
"He's picked up his work now with us, but Sunday might come too quick for him."
Nicolas Raskin returned to Scotland on Thursday but will not be involved in the matchday squad this week after his World Cup exploits with Belgium and continued links to a transfer away from the Gers.
Aside from those absentees, the Rangers manager is satisfied with the condition of his squad heading into the weekend.
"Other than that, we're good to go," he added.
Match officials
Nick Walsh will be the referee in charge of Friday night's Premiership clash between Rangers and Dundee United at Tannadice.
The official has taken charge of one competitive match so far this season, handing out four yellow cards during Ayr United's Premier Sports Cup victory over Edinburgh City.
He will be assisted by Calum Spence and Jonathan Bell on the sidelines.
On VAR duty will be Steven McLean, with Gary Hilland serving as the assistant VAR.
New SPFL rules 2026/27
Head of Refereeing, Willie Collum, has confirmed a series of law changes that will come into effect for the 2026/27 season, and this fixture will be Rangers’ first taste of them.
Among the most significant changes, goalkeepers who go down injured will require their manager to temporarily remove an outfield player for at least one minute while treatment is administered.
Referees will also take a tougher approach to time-wasting. Goalkeepers and players taking throw-ins or goal-kicks will have five seconds to restart play, with repeat offences resulting in cautions. Delays to goal-kicks can also lead to a corner being awarded.
Substituted players will be expected to leave the field within 10 seconds. If officials believe a player is deliberately slowing the game, their replacement will be forced to wait at least one minute before entering the pitch.
Another notable change sees VAR given the power to overturn second yellow cards if a dismissal is deemed to be a clear and obvious error.
Collum also confirmed that reports suggesting players would be sent off for covering their mouths while speaking or that VAR would intervene to award corners are incorrect and will not be introduced.
The SFA hopes the changes will significantly reduce time-wasting and, in turn, shorten injury time during matches.
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