St Mirren and Rangers will kick off their Scottish Premiership post-split campaign on Saturday afternoon with a clash at the Smisa Stadium.
The hosts are looking to break into the European spots during the final five fixtures, while the visitors seem assured of finishing as runners-up in the top flight.
Match preview
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Since securing their promotion to the top flight in 2017-18, St Mirren have steadily climbed the Scottish Premiership rankings over the following six seasons.
The Saints finished 11th in 2018-19, followed by placements of ninth, seventh, a brief drop back to ninth, sixth and fifth, securing European football for the first time since their UEFA Cup Winners' Cup campaign in 1987-88.
St Mirren were ultimately unable to qualify for the league phase of the Conference League, eliminated in the third qualifying round, leaving the Saints determined to secure qualification to European competition next season to give them another chance of reaching the league phase.
Stephen Robinson's side are still in with a chance of doing exactly that, as a dramatic 3-2 victory against Ross County on the final day of the regular season ensured the Saints finished sixth in the table.
St Mirren do trail fifth-placed Aberdeen by nine points, leaving them with plenty to do in the final five fixtures if they are to achieve European qualification, and Robinson will be aware that they must start on a positive note with a victory on Saturday.
The Saints will face what appears to be a tough test on paper, with Rangers seeming destined to finish as runners-up in the Scottish Premiership, but they have struggled in recent outings.
The Gers were eliminated from the Europa League by Athletic Bilbao in the quarter-finals, suffering a 2-0 defeat in the second leg last time out after drawing 0-0 in the first leg.
Those results have coincided with a defeat and a draw in their final two Scottish Premiership fixtures, meaning Rangers are now without a win in their last four outings, a streak they will be aiming to snap on Saturday.
Motivation, however, may be lacking for the Gers, who have little left to play for in the league, trailing leaders Celtic by 15 points and holding a 13 point lead over third-placed Hibernian.
Team News
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St Mirren are set to be without the services of Elvis Bwomono and Evan Mooney due to ongoing injury issues, though the rest of the squad is expected to be available.
After defeating Ross County 3-2 on the final day of the regular season, Robinson may opt to name a largely unchanged side here, including goalscorers Jonah Ayunga and Caolan Boyd-Munce.
As for Rangers, Barry Ferguson is anticipated to be without up to five players for this clash, including Leon Balogun, Ridvan Yilmaz, Neraysho Kasanwirjo, Rafael Fernandes and Ross McCausland.
Oscar Cortes did not feature against Athletic Bilbao due to not being included in the Europa League squad, but the winger could return to the starting 11 on Saturday, featuring alongside Hamza Igamane and Vaclav Cerny in attack.
St Mirren possible starting lineup:
Hemming; Fraser, Gogic, Taylor; Alebiousu, Phillips, Boyd-Munce, O'Hara, John; Olusanya, Ayunga
Rangers possible starting lineup:
Kelly; Tavernier, Souttar, Nsiala, Jefte; Diomande, Raskin; Cerny, Hagi, Cortes; Igamane
We say: St Mirren 1-2 Rangers
St Mirren may have more to play for than their visitors, but Rangers have not lost three consecutive clashes with the Saints since 1985/86, and we expect them to continue that streak with a victory for the away side.
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Ellis Stevens
