Rangers will be looking to maintain their defence of the Scottish Cup trophy on Saturday when they face St Johnstone in the Scottish Cup fourth round.
An Alfredo Morelos brace either side of a Ryan Kent strike secured a 3-2 win over Kilmarnock in the Light Blues ’ last outing, but despite victory again, the nine-point gap between the Gers and Celtic remained. But, attention for Michael Beale’s side now turns to the Scottish Cup in the first of two consecutive games against St Johnstone.
The last meeting between Rangers and the Saints ended in a 2-1 defeat for the Gers in what was their second defeat all season. The Light Blues won the Scottish Cup last season, beating Hearts 2-0 in the final in extra time.
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So, could Rangers successfully start their defence of the famous old trophy against St Johnstone on Saturday? We used FIFA 23 to try and predict the score, and this is what happened.
St Johnstone vs Rangers score predicted by simulation
To complete this simulation, we used FIFA 23 and updated the Rangers squad with the latest injuries and suspensions.
We expect that Rangers could set up in a 4-2-3-1 formation, with their line-up as follows: McGregor, Tavernier, Goldson, Davies, Barisic; Jack, Lundstram; Fashion, Tillman, Kent; Morelos.
We predict that the Saints could set up in a 3-4-1-2 formation, with their line-up as follows: Matthews; Mitchell, Gordon, Considine; Wright, Carey, McGowan, Montgomery; Wotherspoon; Clark, May.
Rangers almost got off to the perfect start in the Scottish Cup tie when Alfredo Morelos was sent one-on-one with the 'keeper, but somehow the striker was unable to score, hitting the post after rounding Remi Matthews. But, the lead arrived moments later as the striker made up for his miss with an assist.
After winning pack possession outside the box, Ryan Jack played a one-two with Morelos to break through on goal, and a driven finish saw the midfielder find the bottom corner to make it 1-0 to the Gers. It was a deserved lead for Beale's side, but in the 40th minute, the Light Blues found themselves 2-1 down.
David Wotherspoon grabbed two goals in six minutes for the hosts, both in a similar fashion as he prodded home from close range twice following saves from Allan McGregor. But, just before the break, Rangers recovered as they found the equaliser through Ryan Kent.
Borna Barasic whipped a dangerous cross to Morelos inside the box from deep on the left, and a poor touch from the striker saw the ball roll out of his path and towards Kent. Without taking a touch, the Englishman curled a fantastic strike into the top corner to level the game.
But, in added time at the end of the first half, Rangers were reduced to 10 men after James Tavernier received his marching orders for what was judged a dangerous challenge on Adam Montgomery. Down a man, it could've been a tough 45 minutes for the Gers, but a moment of magic from Morelos saw the striker make it 3-2 just four minutes after the restart.
After receiving the ball from John Lundstram in the centre of the pitch, the Colombian skipped past three players with some fantastic dribbling to break into the box. One-on-one with the 'keeper, Morelos fired into the bottom corner to make it 3-2 and hand his side the lead.
Rangers were then reduced to nine men in the 64th minute when Ben Davies was given a red card for denying a goalscoring opportunity, but Beale's side held on, and Rangers won the game 3-2.
FIFA 23 predicted score: St Johnstone 2-3 Rangers
Here are the full-time match stats.
FIFA 23 predicts that Rangers could advance to the next round of the Scottish Cup on Saturday, beating the Saints 3-2, a scoreline all too familiar with the Gers under Michael Beale. Despite being reduced to nine men for 30 minutes of the game, Beale's substitutes worked fantastically as the Light Blues defended their lead in the simulation.
What do you think the score will be between Rangers and St Johnstone on Saturday? Let us know in the comments!
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