Rangers conceded the league title to Celtic last term, finishing four points behind the winners, at the end of the second phase of the season.
Rangers will begin their 2022-23 Scottish Premiership campaign with a trip to Almondvale Stadium to take on Livingston on Saturday afternoon. The hosts are heading into the match on the back of a 2-0 win over Kelty Hearts in a group stage encounter of the Scottish League Cup last weekend, while Rangers suffered a 2-1 defeat to Tottenham Hotspur in their final pre-season friendly of the summer, on the same day. Livingston finished eighth in the first phase of the Scottish Premiership last term with 38 points from 33 games, while the visitors conceded the league title to Celtic last term, finishing four points behind the winners, at the end of the second phase.
?️ Giovanni van Bronckhorst insists that Rangers’ target for the new season is ‘very clear’ as they prepare to face Livingston in their first Premiership match of the 2022/23 campaign tomorrow afternoon.
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— Rangers Football Club (@RangersFC) July 29, 2022
Livingston have been impressive this summer, starting with two successive wins in the friendly games against Greenock Morton (3-0) and Linlithgow Rose (6-0) before recording three victories from their four group games of Scottish League Cup. In their recent outing against Kelly Hearts, Sean Kelly scored from the penalty spot to take the lead inside the opening 11 minutes before Phillip Cancar doubled the lead in the 77th minute and sealed the win for Livingston. David Martindale’s men would be aiming to secure a top-half finish this term.
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Rangers, on the other hand, won two of their three friendlies this summer. The Light Blues began with a 2-1 win at Blackpool, before getting the better of West Ham 3-1, and then suffered their first defeat against Spurs. Giovanni van Bronckhorst ‘men ended up falling short against the Premier League outfit following Harry Kane’s brace, despite the fact Antonio Colak gave them the lead in the first half.
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Livingston forward Esmael Goncalves will be unavailable for Saturday’s game because of suspension. Bahamboula is expected to lead the attack with Nouble and Anderson in support. Max Stryjek could occupy the goal. As for Rangers, summer signings Colak, who netted in the previous outing, is likely to lead the line. Meanwhile another new signing John Acouttar could join Goldson at the heart of the defence.
Livingston probable starting lineup: Stryjek; Devlin, fitzwater, Obileye, Montano; Shinnie, Kelly, Pittman; Nouble, Bahamboula, Anderson
Rangers probable starting lineup: McGregor; Tavernier, Souttar, Goldson, Barisic; Lundstram, Kamara; Matondo, Lawrence, Kent; Colak
TheScottish Premiership match between Livingston and Rangers will take place at the Almondvale stadium on Saturday at 4:30 pm IST.
Livingston vs Rangers | Key details |
Date | July 30 |
Venue | Almondvale stadium |
Kickoff time in India | 4:30 pm |
Kickoff time in Scotland | 12:00 pm |
For the football fans in India, live coverage of the 2022-23 Scottish Premiership is available on Sports18 network. Meanwhile, for those in the UK and USA, live telecast is provided by Sky Sports network and CBS Sports network respectively.