Rangers have the chance to go top of the Premiership table if they can defeat Kilmarnock this afternoon at Ibrox.
Derek McInnes' side narrowed the gap on Celtic to just two points with a 1-0 away win at Parkhead before the international break and can leapfrog their arch rivals with three points today, with the Hoops not in action until they face Motherwell at Fir Park on Sunday.
Gers firing on all cylinders
After a rocky start to the campaign, Gers are now firing on all cylinders and are eyeing a seventh straight win in all competitions against a Killie side managed by former Light Blues player and coach Neil McCann.
They have however been dealt another huge injury blow with midfielder Cammy Devlin out for six weeks, as he joins Lawrence Shankland and Youssef Chermiti on the treatment table.
Ayrshire side Killie are rooted to the foot of the Premiership table having picked up just five points from the first seven matches, but four of those came in the draw against Hearts and win over Hibs before club football was placed on hold.
Match officials and team news
Matthew MacDermid will take charge of today's match. He has dished out 35 yellow cards in 10 matches so far this season. Chris Rae and Ross Anderson will serve as his linesmen with George Calder acting as the fourth official. Grant Irvine is on VAR duty with assistance from Gary Hilland.
Olwethu Makhanya says playing for Rangers has turned him into a mentality monster. The Ibrox centre-back has been outstanding since signing for the club from MLS side Philadelphia Union this summer. His performances for Derek McInnes' side have earned him the SPFL Player of the Month award for September. And in Gers' double Old Firm win over Celtic before the international break, the South African produced brilliant derby displays. Makhanya is excelling under McInnes at Rangers and the 22-year-old says playing at a huge club has sharpened his mindset.
Predicted Rangers XI
Rangers will look to pick up from where they left off when they welcome Kilmarnock to Ibrox this afternoon. And despite scoring huge back-to-back victories in the league and cup over arch rivals Celtic before club football was placed on hold, Derek McInnes may look to freshen up his options to ensure the squad don't have any lingering hangovers from their international commitments.
The Light Blues sit just two points behind Hoops at the top of the Premiership following their 1-0 Old Firm win at Parkhead, which came just seven days after they had thumped Martin O'Neill's team 3-0 to set up a tasty showdown with Aberdeen in the last four of the Premier Sports Cup.
Despite still being without long-term absentees Lawrence Shankland, Cammy Devlin and Youssef Chermiti, McInnes was able to field the same starting XI in the double header with Celtic to devastating effect, and his reign at Ibrox is now firmly up and running after a rocky start. But with 13 members of the squad returning from international duty, changes might be on the cards to ensure Rangers can continue their charge by claiming a sixth straight win in all competitions this weekend.
Ivor Pandur has firmly cemented his place as Gers' number one goalkeeper but we could see a tweak in the backline in front of him. Emmanuel Fernandez has played every minute of the season so far and after featuring for Nigeria in Russia on Wednesday might sit out the clash with Killie. That would see loan signing Ben Godfrey come into partner Olwethu Makhanywa, who McInnes may also be tempted to rest because the defender played in all three of South Africa's fixtures during the international break.
Tochi Chukwuani has found regular minutes hard to come by at Ibrox in recent weeks but could be introduced in favour of Minsu Kim - who jetted off to Asia to make his senior bow for South Korea last week. The Dane could slot into a midfield three and play alongside Dan Neil and Nico Raskin, who have been lauded as potential title winning duo by one ex Gers star.
And we could also see a rotation at the top end of the pitch. Stuttgart loan signing Badredine Bouanani came off the bench as a late substitute in both legs of the double header against Celtic but could come in at the expense of Ryan Naderi, who also won international recognition for the first time with the Czech Republic during the international break.
With no European football to contend with anymore this season, Rangers now have plenty gaps in between matches to keep the squad fit and firing. But wee tweaks now and again could give McInnes and his team the extra edge in their bid to chase domestic silverware on all three fronts.
