Football Tips: Andy Robson’s 16/1 St Johnstone v Rangers Bet Builder on Sunday

Our footie tipster Andy Robson is backing the Gers to win by at least two goals.

St Johnstone v Rangers Builder Tips

Rangers -1
Fabio Silva to have 2 or more Shots on Target
Rangers to have 7 or more Shots on Target
St Johnstone to Receive the Most Cards
Luke Robinson to be Shown a Card

    St Johnstone v Rangers
    Premiership match at McDiarmid Park
    TV: Sky Sports Football, Sunday, 12:00

    For Bet Builder stats at your fingertips, head over to Andy’s Opta-powered Bet Builder stats tool, free to use on his website. Expert insight on the Premier League, SPFL, EFL and major European leagues can be found on the predictions section.

    Rangers -1

    Rangers are priced at 1.22 to get the win against St Johnstone at McDiarmid Park on Sunday, yet there is better value on offer backing the Glasgow side with a handicap.

    Philippe Clement’s side might not be winning matches by spectacular margins yet they are dominating games outrageously, as their 43 shots against Ross County on Wednesday underscored. Of the 15 league victories they have achieved under the Belgian, 11 have been by at least a couple of goals.

    On top of this, their record against St Johnstone is very solid. Indeed, their last three matches against the Perth Saints have all been claimed 2-0.

    St Johnstone have been shut out in seven of their last eight matches against Rangers, and with Craig Levien liable to approach this with his usual damage-limitation mentality, that run is likely to continue. Rangers’ weight of pressure, meanwhile, should mean that they find the net at least twice.

    (-1)

    Fabio Silva to have 2 or more Shot on Target

    Rangers’ shot count in recent league matches is outrageous. In their last three Premiership games, they have had 98 efforts on goal. Expect there to be no let-up against a St Johnstone side that is bound to have a defensive mentality.

    In these fixtures, there has only been one occasion that a starting midfielder or attacker has not had some type of shot: Ross McCausland against Ross County. Hitting the target has proven more difficult, however.

    Clement is set to continue his trend of rotation for recent games, which should mean that Fabio Silva starts as centre forward. He managed four shots on target in his previous league start against Livingston, a team St Johnstone will play with a similar mindset.

    Priced at 2, this offers better value than the Portuguese scoring.

        Rangers to have 7 or more Shots on Target

        As already demonstrated, Rangers are chalking up huge shooting numbers, and while these are not being transformed efficiently into lots of shots on target, the sheer volume of efforts they have had in recent matches means they are testing the opposition goalkeeper regularly.

        In midweek, Rangers amassed an incredible 23 efforts on goal against a reasonably well-organised Ross County. St Johnstone should be more robust than the Dingwall side, but Rangers’ average for the season is 7.4 shots on target per game.

        With only Ross County and Dundee giving up more shots than St Johnstone, the Gers should be capable of getting somewhere around their average in Perth.

        St Johnstone to Receive the Most Cards

        St Johnstone sit second from bottom of the disciplinary table in the Scottish Premiership, with only Motherwell having picked up more cards. The Saints have seen 57 cards flourished in their direction this season – 54 yellow and three red – which is nearly twice as many as Rangers.

        Indeed, the Gers have picked up a league-low number of cautions on 28, although they have conversely seen more red cards than any other team in the division.

        Rangers’ propensity to keep out of the referee’s notebook extends to the only time they have been officiated by Matthew MacDermid previously this season. In that match against St Mirren, only Connor Goldson was booked. MacDermid, meanwhile, booked three Saints players when they faced Celtic in August.

        Luke Robinson to be Shown a Card

        Since joining St Johnstone in August on loan from Wigan, Luke Robinson has played a variety of roles for the Perth club. Used as a left winger and a centre back, he has most frequently turned out as a left-back, and it is this station he is liable to be employed in against Rangers.

        The Gers, no matter who starts, will have a dangerous player in this area who is a direct runner with the ball. It could be Rabbi Matondo, Oscar Cortez or Ross McCausland, but all three are wingers who tend to draw fouls.

        MacDermid, meanwhile, is a referee who produces four yellow cards on average a game this season, and with the full-back likely to chalk up a high foul count, expect him to flirt with a booking.

        St Johnstone v Rangers Builder Tips

        Rangers -1
        Fabio Silva to have 2 or more Shots on Target
        Rangers to have 7 or more Shots on Target
        St Johnstone to Receive the Most Cards
        Luke Robinson to be Shown a Card

        All prices are bang up to date with our snazzy widgets, while odds in copy are accurate at time of publishing but subject to change.

        THIS WEEKEND’S FOOTBALL TIPS

        READ MORE

        The latest football odds are on PaddyPower.com now

        THE PADDY POWER GUIDE TO SAFER GAMBLING – EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW