DAILY RECORD star Mr Fixit (@mrfixittps) shares his thoughts on Sunday's Scottish Premiership showdown between Dundee and Rangers.
Dundee v Rangers | Sunday 9th December 2018, 13:30 | Sky Sports
Rangers travel to Dundee on Sunday and just four days before their Europa League decider away to Rapid Vienna.
Steven Gerrard was disappointed with his side's display against Aberdeen and will look for an immediate reaction, although he will be without top scorer Alfredo Morelos after his latest red card against the Dons.
An expectant Ibrox hoped for a rampant Rangers side extending their lead at the top of the table but instead they got a flat performance, and the defeat allowed Killie to take over at the summit. Killie were replaced on Saturday by Celtic who earned a thumping 5-1 win, so Rangers know they need a four-goal victory to return to the summit.
That looks beyond the Ibrox men – and pays 11/2 at Betfair – banned duo Morelos and Scott Arfield, and of course Gerrard, will have one eye on the Rapid game with a victory needed in Vienna to progress.
Dundee will be buoyed by their 4-0 midweek win against Hamilton – their first under Jim McIntyre – and will feel much better about themselves. But it's a massive test and the Dens are 10/1 at Bet365 to cause a massive shock. Rangers are just 3/10 and will expect to win but have lost 2-1 on their last two trips to Dens – a third 2-1 defeat pays 33/1 at SkyBet while Dundee +2 is 19/20 (Ladbrokes).
It's difficult to back against Rangers, and Celtic showed on Saturday the bug guns are a class apart when they're in the mood.
Kyle Lafferty will get a chance up top in the absence of Morelos and he is 15/4 at Bett365 to score first and evens at any time. Veteran hitman Kenny Miller, who hit a hat-trick against Accies, is 14/1 (Bet365) to break the deadlock and 9/2 (Betway) to net against his former club.
Red cards have been a theme in Rangers games recently and while Alan Muir is one of Scotland's less well-known whistlers, he's been getting ready for Christmas by dealing out the cards willy nilly recently. He has flashed 27 in his last seven games and shown red cards in two of his last three at Hamilton and Ross County.
Earlier in the season Muir reffed Dundee v Celtic and the card count was five – Over 4.5 Cards is just 23/25 at 888. However, Rangers have had eight reds this season and are 7/1 with 888 for another while a red in the match is 3/1 (BetVictor).
Best Bets
Dundee v Rangers – Kyle Lafferty to score first (15/4 Bet365)
Dundee v Rangers – Red card in the match (3/1 BetVictor)
