Fans will want a pre-Christmas gift from Rangers at Aberdeen on Tuesday night as Michael Beale looks to continue his early momentum into his first game on the road.
Beale has the chance to cut Celtic's lead at the top to just six points, at least until Ange Postecoglou's men face Livingston on Wednesday, when they take to the field at Pittodrie. The former Queens Park Rangers boss will have watched the Hoops battle to a narrow 1-0 win over a defensive-minded Aberdeen at Pittodrie on Saturday and will know he needs firepower to break Jim Goodwin's side down.
However, they will have to go without top scorer Antonio Colak as he continues to sit on the sidelines, with Alfredo Morelos likely to lead the line again after netting the winner against Hibs. Kemar Roofe is close to a return to the squad having returned to training last week, and narrowly missed out on the side that faced Lee Johnson's men.
Steven Davis also looks likely to be out of the clash after being sent for a scan following a training ground knock. They will also have have to do without Croatia defender Borna Barisic for the visit to Aberdeen and Friday’s trip to the Highlands to face Ross County following his World Cup experience leaving Adam Devine to fill the left-back slot.
Connor Goldson is in line for a return against the Dons, while Ben Davies could be in from the start after his appearance off the bench against Hibs. John Lundstram could drop to the bench having been deployed at centre-back, with Glen Kamara and Ryan Jack impressing in midfield during Beale's debut game.
Ianis Hagi is also stepping up his comeback, but the game comes too soon for the Romania international. Long-term absentees Filip Helander, Ridvan Yilmaz, Tom Lawrence and John Souttar all miss the game.
Predicted Rangers XI
Provisional Rangers squad
Goalkeepers
Robby McCrorie
Allan McGregor
Jon McLaughlin
Defenders
James Tavernier
Adam Devine
Ben Davies
Connor Goldson
Johnly Yfeko
Leon King
Midfielders
- Ryan Jack
- Glen Kamara
- James Sands
John Lundstram
Malik Tillman
Scott Arfield
Alex Lowry
Charlie McCann
Forwards
- Rabbi Matondo
- Ryan Kent
- Alfredo Morelos
- Kemar Roofe
- Scott Wright
READ NEXT
