Rangers vs Dundee FC Prediction: Rangers hope to close league gap

Rangers will look to return to winning ways at Ibrox Stadium when they take on Dundee FC in week 18 of the Scottish Premiership. While Dundee FC also saw an unbeaten run of three games end the previous weekend, they will look to respond to their poor play. With this being a crucial encounter for the two sides, how will they approach it? Below, I will look into each team and provide a head-head analysis and well-analyzed betting options. 

Rangers were unlucky against Celtic the previous weekend in the League Cup final and will hope for a better result. In a game that was decided on penalties, goals from Nedim Bajrami, Mohammed Diomande, and Danilo were not enough to see this team avoid defeat.

In the meantime, Rangers' last league encounter was against Ross County, and they won 0-3 away from home. In that game, James Travernier, Danilo and Hamza Igamane were all clinical in front of goal. 

In their last seven home matches, Rangers won five times while drawing two. In fact, Rangers lost only twice once in the last 12 games in this venue. 

Dundee FC will face a tough test when they take on Rangers in this fixture. Dundee FC took on Hearts away from home the previous weekend and ended on the losing end. In a game that ended 2-0, Dundee FC had only 43 per cent of the possession while failing to attempt any goal on target. 

However, prior encounters to that defeat saw Dundee FC go unbeaten in three games. In those matches, Dundee FC defeated Hibernian and Motherwell while drawing Kilmarnock. This season, Dundee FC have 19 points from 16 games. In that run, Dundee FC scored 27 goals while conceding 29, as they sit 7th in the standings. 

Rangers: Butland, Tavernier, Balogun, Diomande, Cerny, Raskin, Bajrami, Propper, Hagi, Vital da Silva Dias, Igamane

Dundee FC: Mccracken, Robertson, Portales, Astley, Sylla, Koumetio, Mulligan, Cameron, Mcghee, Palmer Houlden, Adewumi

The last meetings between these sides saw the Rangers dominate, with seven wins. In fact, Dundee FC's best result in the last 20 matches of this fixture, dating to 2016, was two wins and two draws. The majority of their matches have ended with goals, with eight of their last eleven ending with a minimum of three goals. Rangers have the most points accumulated in home matches this season alongside Aberdeen. Away from home, Dundee FC have only six points out of 24. 

I expect the Rangers to show what they are up to and dominate this fixture like in the past. While Dundee FC's strength does not come away from home, their possibility of taking a point in this fixture, with the record and stats against them, is very low. While Rangers are pulling off a number of strong unbeaten records in the league so far, an improved record in front of goal would give them the advantage from the first half of this game. While Dundee FC are in hot form offensively, a bet on both teams' scoring is a good option, as Rangers leading scorer Vaclav Cerny is expected to net ‘anytime’ in this game.