Rangers Prepare to Face St Johnstone at Ibrox on October 24

Rangers will host St Johnstone at Ibrox on Saturday, October 24, with manager Derek McInnes expected to maintain a strong starting lineup and consider Kevin Kelsy for the central attacking role. The Scottish Premiership fixture also marks referee Chris Graham's return to a Rangers match for the first time since September 2024.

Rangers enter the match second in the league with 20 points from nine games, four behind Celtic. St Johnstone sit fifth with 12 points, level with sixth-placed Dundee United, according to the October 19 previews published by The False 9.

Rangers' seven-game winning run ended with a 2-2 draw against Dundee at Dens Park. Badredine Bouanani and Nicolas Raskin scored for Rangers before Callum Jones equalized, leaving McInnes seeking a more effective defensive performance at home.

After the draw, McInnes acknowledged that his team should have secured victory with its two goals. He told Sky Sports, "We shouldn’t need to come away from home and need to score three goals to win a game. Two goals should have been enough tonight."

The manager is expected to retain much of his established lineup despite the dropped points. Ivor Pandur should start in goal behind Dujon Sterling, Emmanuel Fernandez, Olwethu Makhanya and James Penrice, with Dan Neil and Raskin forming the midfield pairing.

Kelsy is pushing to start as the central striker after beginning the Dundee match on the bench. The predicted lineup places Ryan Naderi behind him in the No. 10 role, with Bouanani on the right and Djeidi Gassama on the left. The attacking adjustment would allow Naderi to operate behind the forward rather than lead the line.

Four Rangers players remain unavailable, according to The False 9's October 19 team news report: Lawrence Shankland, Youssef Chermiti, Cammy Devlin and Daisuke Yokota. Shankland and Chermiti have long-term injuries, Devlin is recovering from a hamstring strain, and Yokota remains sidelined following surgery. No new suspensions were expected.

St Johnstone are also expected to make few changes after drawing 1-1 with Dundee United. Josh Fowler scored his sixth league goal of the season in the 21st minute from an Enes Alic cross, but illness forced the striker off at halftime.

Manager Simo Valakari is expected to give Fowler the opportunity to recover before the trip to Ibrox. Ruari Paton is the alternative up front if Fowler is unavailable, while Taylor Steven, Joel Cotterill and Sam Stanton are predicted to support the attack in a 4-2-3-1 formation.

St Johnstone's predicted defense includes Liam Smith, Daniel Finlayson, Cheick Diabate and Alic, with Reece McAlear and captain Jason Holt positioned in front of the back four. Zach Mitchell remains sidelined with a long-term knee injury, while Bozo Mikulic provides another defensive option after returning from an eight-month absence.

The Scottish Football Association announced its officiating appointments on Tuesday, October 20, confirming Graham as referee for the October 24 fixture. According to the October 20 report by Yahoo Sports, the 36-year-old had previously overseen only one Rangers match, a 3-0 victory over Dundee in the Premier Sports Cup quarterfinals in September 2024.

That previous meeting included a disputed penalty decision involving Cyriel Dessers and Mo Sylla. Graham did not award a penalty after Dessers was brought down, and video assistant referee officials did not intervene. The Scottish Football Association subsequently agreed that Rangers should have received a penalty.

Graham has officiated 10 matches during the current season, including two in the Premier Sports Cup, five in the Scottish Championship and three in the Scottish Premiership. He issued 40 cards across those fixtures, including one red card, according to Yahoo Sports.

Rangers face another league test against Hearts on Wednesday, October 28, four days after the St Johnstone match. The October 24 fixture therefore precedes a busy period for McInnes as his side attempts to close the four-point gap to Celtic.