TFT Issue 274!
FreeHowdy guys and girls!
Featured game
St.Mirren vs Rangers – away win to nil at 13/10.
Today’s featured game is the Scottish Premier League game between minnows St.Mirren and giants Rangers.
St.Mirren are one of the weaker sides in this division, in my view. Only misfiring Hibernian have bagged less goals than they have this season and it’s going to take more than sporadic draws on the road (in games that they arguably should lose) to convince me otherwise. They’ve not conceded many goals this season, to their credit. That’s why they’re not propping up the table with Dunfermline Athletic, basically. However, the fact remains that they are a weak side as a whole and they’re facing the best side in the country right now, which doesn’t help. Additionally, instrumental defender Goodwin is absent for this game through suspension so quite what St.Mirren’s gameplan will be here I couldn’t say. Their only strength has been dramatically lessened and thus that makes today’s game very hard indeed.
Rangers have the best defensive record in the division by a mile. They average conceding less than a goal per every two games and have conceded just twice in nine away games this season. They’ve won eight out of nine away games this season and they’re generally very convincing on the road. They play football in a very efficient and experienced way on the road and it really shows. Importantly, they welcome back powerhouse centre-back Goian to their ranks and given that they’re already experienced and very strong in defence as it is, it’s hard to envision the visitors conceding in this game. The continued absence of Naismith does lessen their attacking ability but with no Goodwin, Jelavic should really run the show for Rangers today, as should the returning Aluko.
For me, Rangers winning this game without conceding is priced very generously at 13/10 and thus I’m all over it here with the above in mind.
Verdict: Rangers to win to nil at 13/10.
Team news
Scottish Premier League:
Inverness Caledonian Thistle – Doran, Chippendale, Meekings, Proctor, Tudur Jones, and Hogg are absent.
Aberdeen – Folly, Chalali, and Pawlett are absent. Fallon is a doubt.
St.Mirren – Goodwin is absent.
Rangers – Weir and Naismith are absent.
Hearts – Grainger, Kyle, Barr, Glen, and Santana are absent. Stevenson, Jonsson, and Driver have all walked out on the club.
Motherwell – Saunders is absent.
Celtic – Majstorovic, Commons, Matthews, and Loovens are absent. Stokes is a doubt.
Kilmarnock – Gros and O’Leary are absent. Shiels is a doubt.
Dundee United – Swanson and Severin are absent.
Hibernian – Osbourne is absent.
Dunfermline Athletic – Gallacher, McCann, Phinn, Thomson, Rutkiewicz, Bell, and McDougall are absent.
St.Johnstone – Wright, Sheridan, and Robertson are absent.