Kilmarnock have shown signs of improvement recently and they are more than capable of giving Rangers a stern examination on Sunday.

Derek McInnes’ men have avoided defeat in each of their last five matches, most recently picking up their first win of the season against Dundee. They have packed plenty of punch in the final-third of late, having racked up eight goals across their previous three Scottish Premiership matches.

While Rangers have won their last three league games, they aren’t looking entirely convincing, particularly in forward areas. Philippe Clement’s side put in a pair of limp performances when defeating both Dundee United and Hibernian 1-0 before earning a workmanlike 2-0 win over what was a managerless St Johnstone side at the time.

The Light Blues haven’t won by a two-goal margin or more in three of their five Scottish top-flight triumphs this term, making fast-improving Kilmarnock an attractive option with a +2 start on the handicap.

Kilmarnock merit support to hit a minimum of four corners against Rangers on Sunday afternoon. The Rugby Park outfit have averaged six corners per 90 minutes across the opening seven rounds of Scottish Premiership action this term.

Derek McInnes’ side have been particularly prolific on the flag-kick front of late. They have hit exactly 10 corners in each of their last two away games, either side of earning seven at home to Dundee United. It’s also worth pointing out that Killie have covered the proposed 4+ corner line in each of their last six Scottish Premiership matches.

As for Rangers, they have conceded four or more corners in each of their three Scottish top-flight road games this season, not to mention both Motherwell and Hibs managed to hit 4+ flag-kicks when visiting the Glasgow giants earlier this season.

This selection looks a sure one ahead of this clash on Sunday. Kilmarnock have seen over 1.5 goals hit in all of their previous seven matches, with their matches averaging 3.3 goals per game over this time frame.

Likewise, this line has hit in 10 of Rangers’ last 12 matches in all competitions, with their encounters averaging 2.7 goals per game across this period.

This pick has been a winner in 6 of the last 7 head-to-head clashes between these two, as well as in all of the last three. This game typically delivers goals, indicated by recent results of 4-1, 3-1 and 2-1.

Liam Donnelly has been a frequent offender when featuring for Kilmarnock this season. Following a spell on the sidelines, the Northern Irish midfielder committed two fouls on his return to action against Dundee a fortnight ago.

He had previously started Killie’s Scottish Premiership games against both Celtic and Aberdeen at the start of the season, committing four fouls in each of those respective matches.

Donnelly also played the part of hatchet-man  for Kilmarnock last season, evidenced by the fact that he was averaging 2.03 fouls per  90 in the Scottish top-flight last term, racking up eight yellow cards along the way. He will most likely be keeping tabs on Rangers’ Tom Lawrence, who was fouled three times in his last Scottish Premiership outing against Hibernian.

If Donnelly keeps up his fouling tendencies here, he could well receive a caution at a nice price.