Rangers return to Ibrox on Wednesday night knowing another victory over St Mirren would keep their domestic recovery moving in the right direction.
The rearranged Scottish Premiership clash brings together two sides locked on 10 points after five games. St Mirren sit third on goal difference, one place above Derek McInnes’ team, and victory would send Rangers into third.
Rangers have beaten Aberdeen, Falkirk and Motherwell in their last three Premiership outings, although each victory was secured by a single goal.
The latest came on Saturday when Ryan Naderi punished a mistake from Motherwell goalkeeper Alex Paulsen to seal a 1-0 win.
St Mirren should still arrive with confidence. Craig McLeish’s side led Celtic at the weekend before losing 2-1, producing a performance which showed why they have started the season strongly.
Rangers’ 2026/27 season so far | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Date | Competition | Opponent | Venue | Score | Outcome |
31 July | Scottish Premiership | Dundee United | Away | 1–1 | Draw |
6 August | Europa League qualifying | Jagiellonia Białystok | Away | 1–2 | Defeat |
9 August | Scottish Premiership | Hibernian | Home | 1–2 | Defeat |
13 August | Europa League qualifying | Jagiellonia Białystok | Home | 1–1 | Draw, eliminated 3–2 on aggregate |
16 August | Premier Sports Cup | St Mirren | Home | 5–1 | Win |
20 August | Conference League qualifying | Jablonec | Home | 1–0 | Win |
27 August | Conference League qualifying | Jablonec | Away | 0–1 | Defeat after extra time, eliminated on penalties |
30 August | Scottish Premiership | Aberdeen | Away | 1–0 | Win |
2 September | Scottish Premiership | Falkirk | Away | 2–1 | Win |
5 September | Scottish Premiership | Motherwell | Home | 1–0 | Win |
Overall | All competitions | — | — | 14–9 | P10, W5, D2, L3 |
Rangers also know exactly what their opponents can offer after beating them 5-1 in the Premier Sports Cup at Ibrox last month.
That result gives McInnes’ players a psychological advantage, but the league table suggests another comfortable evening cannot be assumed.
Preparations have been dominated by the serious hamstring injury suffered by Lawrence Shankland against Motherwell.
The Rangers captain was forced off early and has since undergone scans which confirmed a 2C tear. He is now in London speaking to a specialist as the club decides whether surgery or a period of natural healing is the best route.
McInnes expects Shankland to be unavailable for between three and four months, and the problem is similar to the hamstring injury he suffered at Hearts in January, which kept him out for nine weeks.
His absence is especially damaging because Youssef Chermiti is already facing a lengthy recovery from an ACL injury.
Naderi took his opportunity against Motherwell, while deadline day signing Kevin Kelsy and Bojan Miovski give McInnes further choices through the middle.
However, Daisuke Yokota has now joined Rangers’ injury concerns before a huge week.
Rangers dealt Daisuke Yokota injury worry with Celtic place in doubt
McInnes confirmed that the Japanese winger is unlikely to face St Mirren and must wait for scan results before discovering whether he can feature against Celtic in Sunday’s Premier Sports Cup quarter-final.
“Yokota is struggling with a groin injury,” McInnes told the press.
“He’s getting scanned this morning, and we expect him to miss tomorrow night. Depending on the outcome of that scan we’ll see whether he misses the weekend as well. Other than that, I think we’re good to go.”
His absence would leave an attack already missing its captain and Chermiti even thinner for the Old Firm game.
The 26-year-old joined Rangers from Hannover 96 in August for an initial £2.75 million, signing a three-year contract including the option of another season, and has quickly become a regular on the right of McInnes’ attack.
His left foot, close control and willingness to run at defenders have offered Rangers a different route into the final third. With Shankland absent, service from wide areas will become even more important for whichever striker starts.
Who could replace Daisuke Yokota for Rangers?
Yokota’s expected absence could create an immediate opportunity for Badredine Bouanani.
The Algeria international joined on loan from Stuttgart on deadline day and can operate from the right, although McInnes has been careful with him after a disrupted preseason.
Findlay Curtis is another option, while McInnes could alter his shape to place more support around Naderi or Kelsy.
The immediate priority is St Mirren, but Sunday’s meeting with Celtic makes the result of Yokota’s scan particularly important.
Rangers have finally built some momentum, but McInnes must now protect it through two difficult home games without Shankland and, for at least the first of them, another important part of his attack.
