Michael Beale suffered his first defeat as Rangers boss in the League Cup final last weekend after winning 13 of his opening 14 in the dugout.
Celtic’s Kyogo Furuhashi found the net on either side of half timeq before Alfredo Morelos bundled one in for the Gers who somehow avoided conceding again in the final 25 minutes despite affording the Bhoys numerous chances.
Beale claimed to be “super-optimistic” about his future but criticism has been quick to gather in the wake of a controversial team selection for an underwhelming outing in the final – although, whatever XI the manager picked would be under scrutiny if his side lost.
Rangers have not been beaten by Scottish opposition at Ibrox since April when Celtic – them again – earned a 2-1 win while the Gers were focusing on reaching the Europa League final.
Derek McInnes was not underselling the dire state of his side’s away form when he described it as “horrendous”, with Killie collecting a pitiful two points from 42 available on the road this season.
Killie are the division’s lowest scorers at any ground this term but have mustered just five league goals away from home all season – Rangers’ right-back James Tavernier has scored six away goals on his own throughout the current campaign.
Scott Robinson scrambled a scrappy opener over the line against Motherwell last weekend but Killie were undone at the death as Callumq Slatteryspanked a stunning free kick into the top corner to snatch a draw in stoppage time
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Any points dropped by Killie on home soil – or rather, Rugby Park’s artificial turf – are crucial given their away woes, with last weekend’s draw leaving McInnes’s side second-bottom, four points above Dundee United.
The Ayrshire outfit have not beaten Rangers at Ibrox since Kris Boyd – the former Gers striker – scored the only goal of a Premiership game in 2018 for a Killie side managed by the current Scotland national team boss Steve Clarke.
Both John Lundstram and Malik Tillman started against Celtic despite coming into the contest after fitness struggles – Beale may be tempted to give this duo a rest after their Hampden excursions.Tom Lawrence and Steven Davis remain sidelined with knee injuries while Ridvan Yilmaz is nursing a hamstring problem.
