Aberdeen vs Rangers

This weekend, Rangers head to Aberdeen in the Scottish Premiership, aiming to postpone Celtic’s title celebrations for at least another week. If Celtic triumph over Kilmarnock on Saturday, Rangers must avoid defeat on Sunday to keep their slim championship hopes alive mathematically.

Rangers, sitting in second place, are 15 points ahead of third-placed Hibernian. The Gers only need four points from their last six games to lock in second spot. However, despite the significant points gap, Hibs managed a 2-0 win at Ibrox last weekend, marking the third loss under interim manager Barry Ferguson.

On Thursday, Rangers showed resilience in their Europa League quarter-final first leg at home against Athletic Bilbao. Early in the match, Robin Propper was red-carded, leaving Rangers a man down. Despite intense pressure from the La Liga outfit, they secured a 0-0 draw, thanks to goalkeeper Liam Kelly’s heroics, including a crucial penalty save to deny Alex Berenguer.

Sunday’s matchup pits Aberdeen, who boast the third-best home record in the league, against Rangers, the second-strongest away side. The Gers have been prolific on the road, scoring three or more goals in their last five away league games. Only twice in their history—back in 1899 and 1957—have Rangers achieved this in six consecutive matches. A haul of at least three goals this weekend would see the current squad etch their name into that record. However, conceding more than two goals would set an unwanted club milestone, marking the first time Rangers have done so in seven straight league games.

Despite their impressive away form, Rangers have dropped points in half of their road matches, a factor widening the gap at the top, with Celtic earning seven more points away this season. Aberdeen, meanwhile, kicked off the campaign with a stellar 11-game unbeaten streak, leading Celtic by three points in November. But a brutal 14-match winless run followed, leaving the Dons 29 points behind the league leaders, with both Rangers and Hibs overtaking them.

Recently, Aberdeen have rediscovered their form, losing just once in their last seven league matches and matching their win total from the previous 19 games in their most recent two outings. The teams have faced off twice this season: Aberdeen won 2-1 at Pittodrie in October, with Nicky Devlin and Shayden Morris scoring, but Rangers responded with a convincing 3-0 victory at Ibrox in January, courtesy of goals from Hamza Igamane, Leon Balogun, and Cyriel Dessers.

With Celtic all but assured of the title, both clubs are guaranteed top-half finishes before the league splits for the final five games. Rangers are focused on securing Champions League qualification next season and chasing Europa League glory, which would also grant them a Champions League spot regardless of their league position. Aberdeen, meanwhile, are eyeing European competition, with the Europa League or Conference League still within reach.