After narrowly avoiding relegation from the Premiership last season, St Johnstone have since endured a difficult start to the new campaign, winning just one of their opening eight competitive matches across all competitions.
The Saints brought a four-game losing run to an end when they played out an aforementioned goalless draw with Celtic at Parkhead at the end of last month, before rescuing a point in a dramatic 2-2 draw with Dundee before the international break.
Steven. MacLean’s side were two goals down against Dundee heading into the final eight minutes, but a late brace from Ukrainian substitute Max Kucheriavyi, including a 96th-minute equaliser, ensured that the hosts snatched a point at the death on home soil.
St Johnstone will be looking to put together a positive run of form in the coming weeks as they prepare for three final fixtures in the month of September against Rangers, Hibernian and Livingston, who have all experienced mixed starts to the new campaign.
However, success on Saturday could prove challenging for the Saints as they have won just one of their last 18 meetings with Rangers – a 2-1 home victory in November last year which was the last time that the Gers visited McDiarmid Park.
There has been plenty of talk about the future of Rangers head coach Michael Beale in recent weeks following an underwhelming start to the new season, with the Gers winning just two of their first four Premiership games and suffering elimination in Champions League qualifying to PSV Eindhoven.
However, Beale has insisted that his job is not in peril and he is expected to remain in the Ibrox hotseat for the time being as alleged top target Graham Potter has reportedly turned down the chance to manage Rangers, while Birmingham City’s John Eustace has dismissed links with the Glaswegian giants.
Rangers entered the international break off the back of a heavy 5-1 defeat to PSV in the Netherlands before losing 1-0 at home to Old Firm rival Celtic, albeit in controversial circumstances as the Gers felt that they were wrongly deni
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The Gers can ill-afford to drop too many more points in the Premiership if they wish to remain in touch of leaders Celtic, who already boast a four-point lead over their Glaswegian rivals, but Beale and co should welcome an encounter with St Johnstone considering their recent record against the Saints.
Indeed, Rangers have won six of their last seven meetings with St Johnstone in all competitions and have kept a clean sheet on five of those occasions, while the aforementioned loss at McDiarmid Park in 2022-23 is their only defeat in their last 15 visits to Perth.
