Rangers predicted XI vs St Mirren: out-of-favour striker in contention and verdict made on defensive issue
Rangers face St Mirren at Ibrox this Sunday in the last 16 of the Premier Sports Cup, with the fixture arriving at a genuinely pivotal moment for Derek McInnes and his players. Having failed to win any of his opening four matches since taking charge, and with the club having been eliminated from the Europa League in midweek, McInnes will be desperate for any kind of positive result to help ease the mounting pressure — and a domestic cup tie against opposition from outside the Old Firm represents as good an opportunity as any to finally get his tenure up and running with a win.
There’s no getting away from the context surrounding this match. Rangers’ start to the season has been described as their worst in the club’s history, a run of results that includes a Scottish Premiership opener drawn against Dundee United, a home defeat to Hibernian, and now a Europa League exit at the hands of Jagiellonia Bialystok. With no wins from his first four competitive games in charge, McInnes will privately know that a positive result against St Mirren — even in a cup competition rather than the league — would go some way toward settling nerves both inside Ibrox and among the club’s increasingly frustrated support.
St Mirren, by contrast, arrive full of confidence. Craig McLeish’s side have made a perfect start to their own Premiership campaign, winning both of their opening fixtures without conceding a goal, and they’ve lost just once in their last ten competitive matches stretching back to May. As reigning holders of the very trophy both sides are competing for this weekend, having lifted it against Celtic only eight months ago, St Mirren travel to Ibrox with a genuine chance of causing an upset rather than making up the numbers in a routine formality for the home crowd.
Between the sticks, Rangers’ £6 million summer signing has done little to lose his place since establishing himself as first choice, delivering a solid start to life at the club. He’s shown a willingness to sweep up behind his defence and charge off his line to snuff out counter-attacking situations, a trait that could prove valuable against a St Mirren side capable of moving the ball forward quickly on the break. There’s no suggestion he’s under any threat of losing his position for this cup tie
At right-back, the situation is a little more delicate. Rangers’ summer signing at this position hasn’t quite hit the levels expected of him yet since returning to the club, but with defensive injuries elsewhere in the squad, he may be given an extended run in the side to find his feet and build match sharpness, rather than being dropped after a difficult start. Ross McCrorie, brought in to bolster this exact area of the pitch, provides competition and could push for involvement as the season progresses, but for this particular tie the incumbent looks set to continue.
Centre-back has been one of the shakier areas of the pitch for Rangers so far this season, but amid that uncertainty, one player has stood out. A South African defender has been genuinely impressive within an otherwise unconvincing back line, showing all the attributes needed to develop into a genuinely high-quality centre-half over time. Alongside him, Emmanuel Fernandez — despite currently being out of form and not quite matching the levels he showed last season — remains the first name on the team sheet at the back, a reflection of the leadership and experience he continues to offer even during a difficult early spell individually.
Perhaps the most eye-catching subplot heading into this fixture concerns the left-back position, given Rangers’ newly completed loan signing of James Penrice from AEK Athens. Signed specifically to address a defensive injury crisis in that area, having arrived via a season-long loan with an option to buy, Penrice could be handed his Rangers debut against St Mirren having completed his medical and paperwork in good time before the tie.
Ahead of his potential involvement, though, the left-back position has been covered by one of Rangers’ more versatile squad members. Having played near-enough everywhere across his time at the club, a switch from right-back to left-back shouldn’t present any great difficulty for a player of that profile, and he may be asked to fill a different role again this weekend depending on how McInnes chooses to set his side up. Given the uncertainty over whether Penrice will be risked from the start on debut, having that kind of adaptable cover available gives McInnes options regardless of which direction he leans.
**Midfield: Barron waits for his chance, Aasgaard under scrutiny**
In central midfield, McInnes has some selection headaches of his own making, largely a product of just how much transfer activity has taken place in this area of the pitch over the summer. One summer signing, despite not hitting the ground running immediately, hasn’t shied away from taking responsibility in the middle of the park and looks set to continue growing into his role against St Mirren.
Elsewhere, Thelo Aasgaard was withdrawn at half-time during the defeat to Jagiellonia, a substitution that suggests his place in the side isn’t currently secure, and there’s a reasonable expectation that another midfielder could be given a fresh opportunity to impress in his place this weekend following some underwhelming performances of his own so far this season.
There’s also room in this fixture for players who haven’t featured prominently so far in the campaign. Connor Barron returned to the matchday squad against Jagiellonia after missing the opening weeks of the season with a pre-season niggle, and with speculation over his long-term future continuing, McInnes will surely want to take a closer look at him ahead of any transfer decisions before the deadline passes. Meanwhile, Nicolas Raskin — whose own future at the club remains a subject of ongoing speculation — could see his usual starting spot come under threat this weekend, potentially dropping to the bench and opening the door for others to stake their claim.
It’s in attack, though, that the most notable subplot of this predicted lineup emerges. With Youssef Chermiti ruled out for the remainder of the season through injury, and with Ryan Naderi currently out of form, Rangers’ fourth-choice striker option could be handed a rare opportunity to feature — the kind of chance that might not have presented itself under normal circumstances, but which a cup tie against lower-league opposition makes far more plausible. For a player who has found himself down the pecking order for much of the campaign so far, a runout against St Mirren represents a genuine chance to remind McInnes of his qualities and force his way back into contention for regular involvement.
Captain Lawrence Shankland, meanwhile, scored his first competitive goal for the club during the midweek defeat to Jagiellonia, and will be eager to build on that moment by helping fire Rangers to their first win of the season on home soil this weekend.
It isn’t only Rangers dealing with fitness issues heading into this tie. St Mirren have their own injury list to contend with, with captain Marcus Fraser a doubt after picking up a knock, and centre-back Keanu Baccus ruled out until the end of the month with an Achilles problem. Forward Jonah Ayunga isn’t expected to return until the new year following an ACL injury, while goalkeeper Ryan Mullen remains sidelined with a long-term thigh issue, leaving Jacob Chapman as St Mirren’s man between the sticks for the visit to Ibrox. Despite those absences, McLeish’s side have shown enough quality and resilience in their opening matches to suggest they won’t simply set up to frustrate Rangers, but will look to make the game competitive by playing on the front foot
Taken together, the picture emerging ahead of this fixture is of a Rangers side still searching for defensive stability, but with enough emerging options — whether through returning fitness, versatile squad players capable of covering multiple positions, or the imminent arrival of a specialist option in Penrice — to suggest the issues at the back may not be quite as intractable as the club’s early-season results might indicate. The centre-back pairing remains a work in progress, with one player standing out amid general uncertainty and another established name simply needing to rediscover his usual levels, while the full-back positions look set to be patched together using a combination of squad versatility and fresh reinforcement until injured players return to fitness
Rangers host St Mirren at Ibrox on Sunday, with kick-off scheduled for 4pm. The match will be broadcast live on Premier Sports 1, with coverage beginning at 3:30pm ahead of kick-off, and can also be streamed via the Premier Sports Player app on mobile devices and smart TVs for subscribers. John Beaton takes charge of proceedings, assisted by Colin Drummond and David Dunne.
For McInnes, the equation heading into this tie is a simple one: after four matches without victory and a chastening European exit already behind him, only a positive result against a confident and well-organised St Mirren side will begin to ease the mounting scrutiny surrounding his opening weeks in the Ibrox hotseat.
