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Kilmarnock v Rangers
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Competition: Scottish Premiership
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Kick off: 17:15
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Watch live: Sky Sports Main Event
Rangers start the Scottish Premiership season with a difficult trip to Rugby Park, where they will take on Kilmarnock. By the time this encounter begins, every other team will have started their campaign, with this left as the showpiece evening match.
The Gers will want to put on a show at a difficult venue, with Michael Beale’s side carrying a new-look attack, making Kilmarnock v Rangers predictions more difficult than usual. However, these bet builder tips will help fans navigate the potential pitfalls that this match brings.
There is no doubt in which direction recent Kilmarnock v Rangers stats point ahead of this match, with the visiting side winning all of their last six against the Rugby Park outfit – but will history repeat itself?
Here are your Kilmarnock v Rangers bet builder tips for the opening weekend of the Scottish Premiership.
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Killie optimistic of breaking Old Firm duck
Kilmarnock may have fought relegation almost to the last in 2022/23, but that does not mean their campaign was without positives. Certainly, Derek McInnes would love his side to repeat the home form they showed last term, with Killie winning 12 and drawing four of their 22 matches at Rugby Park in all competitions.
Unfortunately for McInnes, three of those defeats came at the hands of the Old Firm, making his side definite underdogs despite their commendable home form – important information for a Kilmarnock bet builder. Killie did manage to run Rangers close last season in a 3-2 defeat at home, but they suffered two heavy losses to eventual champions Celtic.
“Other than Rangers and Celtic, we beat every team in the league last season… We have those performance levels in us.” an optimistic McInnes told Sky Sports.
This time around, the goal is firstly to enjoy a more comfortable campaign and secondly to compete to break into the top six. The arrivals of Marley Watkins and Matty Kennedy in attack, plus Kyle Magennis in midfield and Lewis Mayo, who joins from Rangers, and Robbie Deas in defence should ensure the Ayrshire side do enjoy a more productive campaign.
Kilmarnock team news
Saturday’s Kilmarnock v Rangers bet builder tips are conditioned around the home side having a strong team to pick from.
Joe Wright, who has missed much of preseason, is out, but Rory McKenzie and Kyle Vassell are looking good to play and might even start. New signing Liam Donnelly is also set to play.
For a Kilmarnock bet builder, winger Daniel Armstrong is liable to be the key man, having scored one and assisted two in the League Cup.
Beale’s new-look Rangers hoping to impress
Michael Beale has branded his Rangers squad “re-energised” after a summer transfer campaign that has seen them so far make no fewer than nine signings. And it was required, too. Last term, the Gers fell 10 points shy of rivals Celtic and saw a second successive Scottish Premiership title go to Parkhead.
Beale has primarily focussed on his attack, where Cyriel Dessers, Sam Lammers, Abdallah Sima and, most exciting of all, Danilo have been added to Rangers’ ranks. With Kemar Roofe available after long-term injury, there is no shortage of firepower in this side. The manager’s task will be to get it firing effectively.
Pre-season results and performances have been mixed. The Gers played three matches at Ibrox, where a victory over Hamburg was sandwiched between defeats against Newcastle and Olympiacos. Their last friendly came last week against Hoffenheim in Germany, where they played out a 2-2 draw. Any Kilmarnock v Rangers predictions must be made with the recognition that the Glasgow club have not yet settled on their strongest XI and remain apparently vulnerable at the back, having conceded at least twice in three of their four friendly matches against big clubs. These Kilmarnock v Rangers bet builder tips are made with that recognition.
Rangers team news
Michael Beale issued an update on the state of his squad on Friday, offering invaluable insight for a Rangers bet builder.
Connor Goldson has been passed fit after training and may well start in defence, where John Souttar and Leon King are both available. On the other hand, Ben Davies will certainly miss out and Ridvan Yilmaz suffered a strain on Friday and is sidelined.
Beale hinted that new signing Jose Cifuentes will be thrown in at the deep end after arriving from LAFC despite only signing on Thursday.
Kilmarnock v Rangers Cheat Sheet
ABC’s Level 1 Kilmarnock v Rangers bet builder @ 4.33
🏆 Kilmarnock (+2 Handicap)
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Odds: 1.62
In 22 home matches last season, Kilmarnock only lost two by more than a single goal. Both of those were against runaway champions Celtic. History, meanwhile, shows that they rarely lose against Rangers easily at home. In the last 11 between the clubs at Rugby Park going back to 2011, the Gers have only once won by more than a single strike.
Indeed, Kilmarnock’s record against Rangers at the Ayrshire venue shows that they have won as many of the last seven as their opponents. Killie, admitted, are not the force they were when that run began, though.
Nevertheless, at 1.62 with a two goal start, this looks good value on a Kilmarnock v Rangers bet builder.
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🎯 Both teams to score
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Odds: 1.65
Recent Kilmarnock v Rangers stats show that this is an encounter that typically produced goals at both ends of the field. In 11 of the last 15 matches between these sides, both have found the net. Indeed, this held in their sole meeting last season, when the Gers edged a five-goal thriller by a single strike.
Indeed, Killie have almost always scored at home in the last year. Only three times in their 22 home matches were they shut out last season, while they netted five times in two home matches against lower-league opposition in the League Cup.
Rangers, fuelled with their new attacking line up, are fully expected to find the net, having done so on 93 occasions in the league last term.
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⚽️ Kilmarnock Under 3.5 corners
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Odds: 1.92
This might be one of the more unusual Kilmarnock v Rangers bet builder tips, but it offers excellent value.
Rangers played nine matches against Scottish Premiership sides that failed to finish in the top half of the table in 2023 and on seven occasions have restricted those opponents to under four corners. Indeed, during this run, Michael Beale’s side have not conceded more than four flag kicks when playing away from home in five games – including their 3-2 victory over Kilmarnock last term.
Killie are likely to find themselves restricted in terms of their territory and possession in this match, which will make corners difficult for them to win. For that reason, it’s worth considering this for a Rangers bet builder.
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ABC’s Level 2 Kilmarnock v Rangers bet builder @ 11.31
⚽️ Danilo to score anytime
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Odds: 2.25
Rangers’ new signing Danilo will strut his stuff competitively for his new side on Saturday, with the forward set to be handed the keys to the attack. This is a club, after all, that has parted with four of its five leading scorers in the league last season, with the other a right-back.
The No. 99 – a jersey picked because he loved players who wore that shirt as a kid playing FIFA – scored at a formidable rate last season with Feyenoord in the Netherlands and the same thing is expected of him in the Scottish Premiership.
He speaks good English, so should settle relatively quickly, and after bagging a goal every 130 minutes in the Eredivisie last season – a league of a higher standard than the Premiership – it is hoped that he will improve that strike rate. At this price, he is attractive for a Rangers bet builder.
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⚽ Both teams to score
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Odds: 1.65
Recent Kilmarnock v Rangers stats show that this is an encounter that typically produces goals at both ends of the field. In 11 of the last 15 matches between these sides, both have found the net. Indeed, this held in their sole meeting last season, when the Gers edged a five-goal thriller by a single strike.
Indeed, Killie have almost always scored at home in the last year. Only three times in their 22 home matches were they shut out last season, while they netted five times in two home matches against lower-league opposition in the League Cup.
Rangers, fuelled with their new attacking line up, are fully expected to find the net, having done so on 93 occasions in the league last term.
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⛔ Rory McKenzie to be shown a card
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Odds: 3.30
No Killie player picked up as many cards last season as winger Rory McKenzie, who went into the referee’s notebook an impressive 13 times in 45 matches, making him an excellent Kilmarnock v Rangers bet builder tip prior to this match.
His strike rate at getting cautioned against Rangers is impressive. In 18 previous appearances against the Glasgow club, he has been shown a yellow card on six occasions. Indeed, against clubs he has played more than ten times in his career, his booking every 2.83 appearances against Rangers is his most prolific rate.
The main risk on this bet is that he does not start after coming back from injury, in which case teammate Liam Donnelly could be considered at 2.2. The former Motherwell man picked up ten cautions last term at a rate of one every 178 minutes, making him a highly attractive price.
At 3.6, he looks good value for a big Ross County bet builder.
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* All odds displayed correct at the time of publishing *
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