Livingston vs Rangers – Preview, Lineups, Score Prediction
Fixture: Livingston vs Rangers
Competition: Scottish Premiership
Kick-off: 22nd February, 15.00 UK Time
Rangers head to Livingston this afternoon with raised expectations and a real opportunity to win this season’s Scottish Premiership title.
Livingston have a mountain to climb if they are to make sure that Scottish Premiership football continues at Almondvale beyond the summer of 2026.
They only managed to earn promotion from the Scottish Championship via the playoffs last season and now could be back there yet again if immediate precautionary steps are not taken.
Marvin Bartley, a relatively inexperienced boss who stepped up from an assistant role, is fighting to try to keep Livingston afloat, but even he will know that any points picked up against Rangers will go in the bonus column.
Rangers have stuttered a little of late with two draws in their last four Scottish Premiership games, amid some criticism that boss Danny Rohl has been too negative at times.
That will likely not be the case against Livingston as Rangers go for the win, with the game arriving on the back of a crucial 4-2 victory over title rivals Hearts.
Youssef Chermiti was the hero on that occasion, with a hat-trick, and his ability to deliver in the biggest games has been praised.
Even a point against the Glasgow giants would be celebrated inside the Almondvale Stadium as Livingston know that it will be tough to stop a team of Rangers’ quality.
But they can still give themselves a chance if they continue to dig deep and make life tough for their opponents.
Livingston are expected to play high-press football to make life difficult for the opposition and at times it could just be one-way traffic.
Whether they are able to negotiate the high-octane football from the away team now remains to be seen.
Who Rangers field in the game could be key and Rohl has admitted there are some injury issues, but refused to give away any details.
Predicted Lineups
Recent Form (league)
Livingston: DLLLL
Rangers: WDWDW
Key Men
Livingston
Even the most loyal of Livingston fans is not going to give their team much chance against Rangers. They will be happy if they manage to cut the damage down and a draw would be greeted with jubilant cheers inside the stadium.
To ensure that that Jerome Prior’s goal is kept intact, the defenders will have to play key role. Bartley can revert to a back five, a formation he made use of in the match against Celtic earlier this month and in that he could be helped by his skipper Ryan McGowan.
Standing at six feet three inches, he can be a physical presence inside the Livingston box. He also has plenty of experience to boast of and must use all of that to keep the Rangers players at bay.
Recently-signed free agent Barrie McKay could also be handed his Livingston debut in the match against his former side. The 31-year-old knows Rangers like the back of his hand and in midfield, be an orchestrator of moves going forward.
If used as a winger, McKay can stop the Rangers full-backs from beating him with pace and then help the home team go forward.
Rangers
Rangers manager Danny Rohl got results by playing two up front against league leaders Hearts last weekend. He can do that yet again when Livingston host the Gers. It will give them more opportunity to open up the home team, who will be defending vigorously.
Youssef Chermiti proved his doubters wrong by scoring his first Rangers hat-trick on Sunday, but it will count for little if he cannot consistently follow it up and Livingston are opponents he should be scoring against.
On yet another Sunday, he can turn out to be lethal yet again having another striker by his side to share the burden with him.
Skipper James Tavernier can be used to unlock the Livingston defence. His good deliveries and threat from set piece situations is something that Scottish defences have found no answer to for many years.
Rohl is expected to try multiple means to get his desired outcome and Tavernier could be a crucial part of it all.
Match Prediction
All the possibilities suggest that it is going to be a tough day in the office for Livingston boss Marvin Bartley. Rangers are expected to leave no stone unturned to get a result and even the bravest efforts the home team make can fail to yield the desired outcome.
They will look to take the same approach they took against Celtic, where the Bhoys needed a late, late goal to edge a 2-1 win.
The match could also allow Rohl to try some of his untested methods and see whether they could be used going forward.
The fans can expect more than a one goal margin when the full 90 minutes are played.
Inside Futbol Score Prediction
Livingston 0-3 Rangers
Where To Watch?
Livingston vs Rangers will be shown live in the UK on Sky Sports Football with a 15:00 kick-off.
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