Kilmarnock v Rangers: Leaders to embrace Celtic challenge

Scottish Football / Michael Lintorn / 24 November 2011 /

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The character of Ally McCoist's squad will be scrutinised at Rugby Park

"Rangers haven’t dropped a point on the road since McCoist replaced Walter Smith, Aberdeen’s consolation against them last month being the first that they had conceded on their SPL travels."

Celtic have edged closer to Rangers at the top of the SPL, but Michael Lintorn expects the champions to embrace the increased competition...

Kilmarnock v Rangers, Sunday 12:45 BST, Sky Sports 4, Match odds: Kilmarnock [8.0], Rangers [1.51], The Draw [4.4]

For a while, it looked like Rangers might canter towards a fourth straight SPL title but - aided by the Gers' third home blip of the season against St Johnstone last week - Celtic are right back in the race.

By making the most of their game in hand at home to struggling Dunfermline, the Bhoys have pulled to within seven points of the champions, and the gap could be four by the time that Ally McCoist and co reach Rugby Park, as Celtic host St Mirren on Saturday.

The table-toppers remain unbeaten though after 15 fixtures - their run without an SPL loss spanning 25 matches - and have won all the honours that they have because of their ability to thrive in situations like this.

On top of all that, Rangers haven't dropped a point on the road since McCoist replaced Walter Smith, Aberdeen's consolation against them last month being the first that they had conceded on their SPL travels. So that's seven wins in seven, with 16 scored and just one leaked.

Do Kilmarnock have enough about them to threaten that record? Well, they gave Celtic an almighty fright in October, forcing them to recover from 3-0 down for a point, yet have offered little besides that, triumphing in only three of their 15 games to date.

Given that Rangers have been victorious in all nine meetings between the pair over the last two years, leading at the interval in six of those encounters, both the away win at [1.51] and half-time/full-time double at [2.32] have to be fancied.

However, don't bank on the visitors leaving with a clean sheet. The aforementioned Celtic clash appears to have reinvigorated Killie as an attacking threat, and they have netted five times in three games. Both teams to score is a [1.93] shot.

Best Bet: Rangers to lead at half-time and full-time @ [2.32]
Other Recommended Bet: Both teams to score @ [1.93]

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