Rangers v Saints Previrew

Last updated : 25 January 2008 By Stuart Gillespie
Probably not. Rangers hammered East Stirlingshire in the Scottish Cup on Wednesday night and will probably be in the mood to rattle in a few more goals tomorrow. However, they did seem to field a relatively strong squad featuring the likes of Kris Boyd, Alan Hutton and Lee McCulloch, so maybe there will be a few tired legs. We did manage a draw at Ibrox last season, but that was when Rangers were fairly rubbish under Paul Le Guen. This season they've been pretty good, with the only blip being exit from the CHampions League.

After a mixed 2007 - with terrible form at home - things have improved in 2008. We've won all three games and the mood in the Saints camp is very different to how it was in the weeks leading up to Christmas, with doubts being cast about the future of Saints boss Gus MacPherson. The return to fitness of Ian Maxwell and Craig Dargo, along with Andy Dorman's arrival, has helped play a big part in the turnaround. However, what can't be denied is that we have suddenly started to look a bit more attacking in recent weeks. The arrival of a few attacking players has probably helped with this, but it seems MacPherson has decided to go at teams rather than hand them an easy time by playing one up front at home.

Whether the attacking approach stays for tomorrow remains to be seen. No one would blame MacPherson if he decided to go with just one up front, but a front pairing of Mark Corcoran and Billy Mehmet managed to get us a point at Parkhead in December. It would be nice to stick with the same team as last week, but chances are the likes of Garry Brady and Alan Reid could return as we pack the midfield. Whatever we go with, the chances are goal machine Ian Maxwell will play, while Craig Dargo will hopefully start up front. Stephen O'Donnell and Richard Brittain are still injured, while Gary Mason is suspended.

Former Saint Kirk Broadfoot played in Rangers win during the week, but it's likely he'll be sitting in either the dugout or the stand tomorrow. Things haven't worked out for Kirk since his summer switch, but he's done a bit better than fellow bosman signing Allan Gow. Saints recently tried to bring Broadfoot back to Love Street on loan, but it was knocked back - suggesting Rangers boss Walter Smith does see a future for him at Ibrox.

Rangers obviously have plenty of players that can cause us problems, such as Boyd, Hutton, Chris Burke and former Saint Charlie Adam. After what they did on Wednesday, they'll be looking for another big victory and I sadly think they'll get it, bringing to a halt our wee run.