Rangers face West Ham United at Ibrox in their final pre-season friendly before the Scottish Premiership campaign kicks off. Derek McInnes will use the match to give his squad a last run-out ahead of next Friday's opener against Dundee United at Tannadice.
Match Preview
The Gers come into the game on the back of a 2-1 win over St Etienne in midweek, with Lawrence Shankland scoring his first goal for the club and Cammy Devlin making an impactful debut off the bench. New signing Vanja Dragojevic, who completed a £5 million move from Partizan Belgrade this week, could make his first appearance in light blue.
West Ham, now in the English Championship after relegation under Nuno Espirito Santo last season, provide a stern test. Espirito Santo remains in charge despite the drop.
Dragojevic Tipped to Shine
Dragan Mladenovic, the last Serbian to play for Rangers, has tipped his countryman to make a bigger impact. “Don't read too into friendlies, they say. Well, the Rangers support pored over this one and left Ibrox purring at the performances of new boys Rabbi Matondo and Tom Lawrence,” Mladenovic said, referencing the last friendly between the sides in 2022. He added: “But now looking back, the only wonder is how on earth Rangers agreed to pay the exorbitant wages they shelled out on the pair?”
Previous Encounter
West Ham last visited Ibrox for a pre-season friendly four years ago, when Rangers won 2-0 with goals from substitutes Tom Lawrence and Rabbi Matondo. Since then, the Light Blues have had five different managers, with McInnes now in charge. This time, McInnes hopes to avoid the mistakes of his predecessor.
A bumper crowd is expected as fans look for further improvements ahead of the league season. Places in the starting XI are up for grabs, and players will be eager to impress against the Hammers.
Record Sport has all the TV details for those wishing to watch the action.
