St Johnstone vs Rangers Prediction: Visitors to go top of the standings with a win here

Eager to claim the top spot in the Scottish Premiership table, Rangers will journey to McDiarmid Park to confront St Johnstone this Sunday. The visiting team is closely trailing their rivals, league leaders Celtic, in goal difference after 25 matches. Meanwhile, St Johnstone currently occupies the 10th position with a five-point advantage over the teams at the bottom of the table.

St. Johnstone will be seeking an improved outcome in this match following a 2-1 defeat in their last Premiership game against Dundee. In that encounter, St. Johnstone held 42% possession and made 14 attempts at goal, with 3 shots on target. The lone scorer for St. Johnstone was Matt Smith (9'). On the other side, Dundee registered 26 shots on goal, with 6 on target. Luke McCowan (75') and Jordan McGhee (89') secured the goals for Dundee. In 5 of the last 6 meetings involving St. Johnstone, the total goals per match remained below three. In terms of goal distribution during this period, opposing teams scored a total of 6 goals, while St. Johnstone managed 4. Looking ahead to this game, the current form indicates that St. Johnstone has not defeated Rangers in their last 3 league matches and has been winless at home for the past 3 league games.

Rangers will enter the upcoming match on the back of a 3-1 victory against Ross County in their recent Premiership fixture. In that game, Rangers dominated with 72% possession and launched 43 attempts on goal, with an impressive 23 shots on target. Cyriel Dessers (5', 45') and John Souttar (92') were the goal-scorers for Rangers, while Ross County managed 5 attempts on goal, with only 1 on target, resulting in a goal by Simon Murray (29').

The Rangers' defensive unit has showcased resilience, conceding only 2 goals in their last 6 outings. Simultaneously, their forwards have been prolific, finding the net 12 times during this period. It remains to be seen if this trend will persist in the upcoming match.

Looking ahead to the contest, Rangers carry an unbeaten record in their last 2 away league matches.

This marks the 64th encounter between the two teams, with Rangers boasting 46 victories, St. Johnstone securing nine wins, and eight matches concluding in a draw. Their most recent clash occurred in December 2023, resulting in a routine 2-0 home win for Rangers. In seven of the last eight head-to-head games, one side failed to find the back of the net. Rangers are currently riding an impressive eight-game winning streak across all competitions. Out of St. Johnstone's last 12 matches in various competitions, ten have seen fewer than three goals. Additionally, seven out of Rangers' last nine competitive games have witnessed over 2.5 goals.

St. Johnstone currently enjoys a five-point buffer from the relegation zone but requires additional points to widen the gap further from the bottom two teams. Meanwhile, Rangers are in a tight race with arch-rivals Celtic for the championship title. Philippe Clement's team possesses more momentum in this competition and aims to secure maximum points to capitalize on any potential misstep by the Bhoys. The recent history of this fixture has been largely one-sided, with Rangers emerging victorious in eight of the last nine head-to-head encounters. I predict that the visitors will secure all three points with a comfortable victory.