Rangers vs Dundee Utd Prediction

Form shows a clear gap, but it's spread across competitions

Rangers' recent sample spans the Premiership, European football, the League Cup and a few friendlies, and it reads well: 12 wins, 5 draws and just 3 losses, with 33 goals scored and only 15 conceded.

Rangers: 20 completed matches; Dundee Utd: 20 completed matches.

Rangers

20 matches

Win

60% 12 / 20

Draw

25% 5 / 20

Loss

15% 3 / 20

Scored

33

Conceded

15

Difference

+18

Dundee Utd

20 matches

Win

35% 7 / 20

Draw

30% 6 / 20

Loss

35% 7 / 20

Scored

27

Conceded

27

Difference

0

Dundee Utd's equivalent run, also mixing cup games and friendlies in with league matches, is far shakier. Seven wins, six draws and seven losses, with 27 scored and 27 conceded shows a side that can find goals but doesn't keep things tight at the other end.

Rangers' defensive numbers stand out as much as their attacking ones, while Dundee Utd's record suggests goals at both ends are likely whenever they play.

Comparative Team Statistics: Rangers vs Dundee Utd

Head-to-head: wide margins in the past, tighter lately

Looking back over the full head-to-head record, Rangers have won the majority of meetings, including some heavy scorelines stretching back over a decade.

The last five meetings tell a different story though. Two 2-2 draws, a 4-2 Rangers win, another Rangers win, and then a 1-1 draw in July. Dundee Utd have avoided defeat in three of those five.

Recent history between these two has been closer than the overall record implies.

The table backs Rangers as the stronger side right now

Rangers sit second with 24 points from 11 games, built on seven wins and just the one defeat so far this season.

Dundee Utd are down in fifth with 16 points from the same number of matches, their four wins balanced out by four draws and three losses. That's an eight-point gap with the season still a bit over a quarter of the way through.

Key men and a card to watch

Lawrence Shankland has been among the goals for Rangers, with three in his last five appearances, and Naderi has chipped in as well.

Rangers:

Best scorers:

L. Shankland - 3

R. Naderi - 2

Best assist providers:

R. Naderi - 1

Penalty cards:

D. Sterling x 3

Dundee Utd:

Best scorers:

J. Randall - 2

Best assist providers:

J. Randall - 2

M. Merghem - 2

Penalty cards:

E. Agyei x 1

D. Bennie x 3

L. Rose x 2

For Dundee Utd, J. Randall has been their most involved attacker, contributing two goals and two assists in seven matches, with Merghem also setting up a couple. Dundee Utd's Agyei picked up a red card in his last four outings, which is worth bearing in mind for squad depth.

How this one could play out

Given Rangers' home efficiency and Dundee Utd's shakier recent results, this has the look of a game Rangers should control for long spells.

But Dundee Utd's past ability to hold them level, including in the most recent meeting back in July, suggests they won't just fold if the game stays tight into the second half.