The Scottish Premier League is well and truly underway. We are now into the second matchday, and Rangers will host Motherwell at Hampden Park at 3 pm Scotland local time.

It is worth noting that both teams are coming off a draw, and they are right next to each other in the table. Playing away to Heart of Midlothian F.C., the Rangers were held to a frustrating 0-0 draw, in a game they had the lion’s share of possession but were deprived of shots. Given this was an away game, Rangers might be a little consoled by the fact, but will now be desperate to get that first win against Motherwell.

Motherwell, as well, are coming off a 0-0 draw. They really couldn’t get going against Ross County, despite playing at their home. In a rather dull match, both teams had an equal share of possession.

Team News and Predicted XI

Rangers

Injuries have affected the Rangers a bit. They will be without their main man in the midfield, Nicolas Raskin. He is currently nursing an ankle injury which he suffered in a pre-season friendly against Netherlands’ Ajax. It is believed that Raskin will be out for the entirety of August. Another doubtful is Oscar Cortes, who will miss the match following an injury against Hearts last weekend. Rabbi Matondo or Vaclav Cerny are likely to be the replacements.

Predicted XI: Butland; Tavernier, Souttar, Davies, Yilmaz; Diomande, Barron; Wright, Lawrence, Matondo; Dessers

Motherwell

Motherwell are actually hampered by a ton of injuries. Stuart Kettlewell’s men are expected to be without up to 5 players. The stars missing in action are expected to be – Callum Slattery, Harry Paton, Sam Nicholson, Shane Blaney and Johnny Koutroumbis. It is also worth noting that Motherwell will not have the services of last season’s top scorer Thelonius Bair, who has now left for French club AJ Auxerre.

Predicted XI: Oxborough; Casey, Gordon, McGinn; O’Donnell, Zdravkovski, Halliday, Wilson; Miller; Robinson, Ebiye

Match Deciding Duel

John Souttar vs. Moses Ebiye

Moses Ebiye, the new signing will be up against the experienced John Souttar. Ebiye is coming off two decent seasons for Norwegian club Aalesunds. With the season just starting, this battle will prove to be exciting to watch.

Rangers vs. Motherwell Odds

Rangers: 1.2

Motherwell: 11

Prediction

Rangers 2-0 Motherwell

Rangers are the clear favorites going into this game. And they are the hosts as well. To make things worse, Motherwell are without a chunk of their key men. Expect a clean sheet and a rather easy win for the Rangers.