Falkirk vs Rangers LIVE as Danny Rohl's title chasers eye a mammoth win

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Falkirk vs Rangers LIVE as Danny Rohl's title chasers eye a mammoth win

It's a massive game for both sides as they prepare to enter the post-split Premiership run-in

The Scottish Premiership is going to the wire and Rangers know they can't afford any slip-ups in the title race.

Therefore, Falkirk is far from the ideal fixture for Danny Rohl and his players after John McGlynn has already caused problems for the Light Blues this term.

It was dropped points at this venue which cost Russell Martin his job in October - with the flop boss requiring a police escort out of the Falkirk Stadium.

At that stage it was hard to imagine the Glasgow giants finding a way back into the title race - but Rangers could cut the gap on table-topping Hearts to just a point once again with a win.

With both Celtic and the Jambos securing wins on Saturday, Rohl will know a victory is essential to keep pace with their rivals in a title race for the ages.

For the Bairns, they are celebrating sealing a top-six finish on their return to the top flight, and they can still catch and move into fifth to open the door to the prospect of European football.

They are set to have a big say in who will lift the trophy this season - and that all starts with the visit of Rohl's men.

Hearts: Bain, Adams, Henderson, Lissah, Donaldson, Spencer, Tait, Yeats, Stewart, Broggio, Miller.

Subs: Hogarth, McCann, graham, Neilson, Ross, Cartwright, Allan, Wilson, Parkinson.

Rangers: Butland, Tavernier, Djiga, Fernandez, Meghoma, Raskin, Chukwuani, Gassama, Moore, Aasgaard, Chermiti.

Subs: Kelly, Souttar, Aarons, Barron, Diamonde, Antman, Skov Olsen, Bajrami, Miovski.

Follow all the team news, action and reaction LIVE as it happens from the Falkirk Stadium!

Key Events

Falkirk team named

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The Rangers XI

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KICK-OFF!

We are underway at the Falkirk Stadium!

Rohl with it

I think the most important thing is to deliver and take three points. They [Falkirk] have nothing to lose now, and they can play with freedom. This is always dangerous. If we bring our performance on the pitch, then we will win.

McGlynn's plan

A challenge from a Rangers team trying to win a title, so I'm sure they're going to give everything to the cause. We've got our own ambitions. We want to try and get closer to Hibs and put some pressure on them. If we could do well today, we could close that gap with five games to go and anything can happen.

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Win or bust for Rohl's Rangers?

Today is Rangers' chance to finally banish their Bairns bogey men.

John McGlynn's Falkirk team are the only Premiership side that Rangers have yet to beat.

Their last visit here to Westfield back in October proved to be the end of Russell Martin's tenure as the beleagured boss was whisked away from a furious fan demo by a police escort.

Rohl was in charge by the time the teams faced off in a grim goalless draw at the end of November.

Far from being whisked out the back door, the German is hoping he'll be carried out shoulder high when Gers return here on the final day for what might end up being a title D-Day.

But to do that, he'll first have to overcome the Premiership new boys in their final pre-split clash.

It certainly won't be easy. McGlynn's side have more than deserved their top-six spot having played an entertaining brand of swashbuckling football.

But it's at the stage of the season for the Light Blues were every game is a must-win and any repeat slip-ups could prove disastrous for the Ibrox title-chasers.

Andy Newport

Barney on his adventure

Barney Stewart on his meteoric rise, as he spoke to Sky Sports.

"I couldn't have imagined it before the month started, so I'm very grateful for this and hopefully it continues. "[I've learned] how to play to my strengths and how to use certain aspects to my advantage. "Think that's probably been the main message that I've obviously been passed across and put onto the pitch. "There's not a team in the top six that I think we can't give us a good chance against, but obviously being in that top six, we'll have a big part to say in who wins the league. "We'll obviously try and win every single game, even though we can't win the league ourselves. It's going to be massive."

The stage set for Rangers

Rangers would be heading to Falkirk with a chance to overtake Hearts at the top of the Premiership.

But three goals in the last half hour against Motherwell mean the Tynecastle side are guaranteed to go into the five post-split fixtures having led since September.

With Celtic having also beaten St Mirren, it means Rangers now sit third and need a win in Falkirk to go back into second, a point behind Hearts.

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No Miovski for Rangers

After Ryan Naderi's injury, Bojan Miovski would have been hoping to land a run in the starting XI.

Instead, Danny Rohl has opted to play Thelo Aasgard in a more advanced position.

Falkirk team named

Bain, Adams, Henderson, Lissah, Donaldson, Spencer, Tait, Yeats, Stewart, Broggio, Miller.

Subs: Hogarth, McCann, graham, Neilson, Ross, Cartwright, Allan, Wilson, Parkinson.

Four changes for Rangers

James Tavernier, Emmanuel Fernandez, Djeidi Gassama and Youssef Chermiti come into the team.

Dujon Sterling and Ryan Naderi have dropped out of the matchday squad - with the German likely to miss the remainder of the season.

Andreas Skov Olsen and John Souttar settle for spots on the bench.

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The Rangers XI

Butland, Tavernier, Djiga, Fernandez, Meghoma, Raskin, Chukwuani, Gassama, Moore, Aasgaard, Chermiti.

Subs: Kelly, Souttar, Aarons, Barron, Diamonde, Antman, Skov Olsen, Bajrami, Miovski.

Rangers frontmen in form

Rangers have scored four goals in both of their last two league games, last doing so three games running in the league in December 2020 under Steven Gerrard.

Boyd: Rangers can't slip up

Kris Boyd has warned his former club that only one result will do for them at the Falkrik Stadium.

He told Sky Sports:

They are going to have to win today if they are going to stay in it, because with Hearts and Celtic winning yesterday - we have not seen the three teams win very often in the same weekend. It’s over to Rangers, they go last and they must win.

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The last Rangers visit to Falkirk

Brad Spencer found himself caught up in the mayhem as Russell Martin was given a police escort out of the Falkirk Stadium on Rangers’ last visit.

Six months on and the Bairns skipper is determined to sound the siren on the Ibrox side’s title hopes again this afternoon.

Rangers may have arrested their slide since that damaging draw in October which turned out to be Martin’s last game in charge.

But Spencer is eyeing another chance to land the light blues in serious trouble - even though he reckons Danny Rohl’s title-chasing side pose a very different threat to the version which meekly spilled two points in October.

That result left Gers eighth, 11 points off the leaders and led to furious demonstrations from supporters outside the ground which resulted in the team bus being blocked and Martin’s emergency escape.

Spencer and a few of his Falkirk team mates also had to get led through the seething group of away fans by security.

And the midfielder recalled:

Yeah, a couple of us park out the far side of the stadium so we got told to be careful and security took us over. The Rangers fans were there.. but not for us! They were there for one man which is a shame to see. It is not nice anyone losing their jobs. It will be different this time, that is for sure.

The key games for Rangers

Former player Pedro Mendes is looking beyond the fixture card today.

He told Thunderpick:

I think the key games will be Hearts and Celtic away for Rangers. Rangers just need a result in both of those. I think the three teams won't lose points in the last game before the split. So Rangers need to put themselves in a position that they won't need to pray for a result in the last game between Celtic and Hearts. I think the both away games at Hearts and Celtic could be very, very decisive for the title. If Rangers win those, they will lift the trophy.

Is he looking too far ahead?

Predicted Falkirk team

Bain, McCann, Henderson, Lissah, Adams, Spencer, Tait, Yeats, Stewart, Broggio, Miller.

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Predicted Rangers XI

Butland; Meghoma, Djiga, Souttar, Tavernier; Chukwuani, Raskin; Moore, Miovski, Skov Olsen; Chermiti

Strachan: Rangers want league NEXT season

Former Celtic boss Gordon Strachan reckons Danny Rohl is looking to win the league NEXT season.

That’s despite a win today moving the Light Blues within a point of table-topping Hearts.

He told OLBG:

Danny Rohl is not a manager who's going to say, 'We have to play through the thirds, we have to do this, we have to do that.' He asks what's the most positive pass we can play? And that's what he does. I knew that before, and I admire what he did at Sheffield Wednesday. I knew Barry Bannan well and he had high praise for Danny Rohl. I think Danny must have come along thinking, 'Right, I'll get my team ready for next season.' I think that's what he's thought. I think most Rangers supporters thought, 'If he gives us some hope and gets us ready for next season, that'll do fine.' I bet they didn't think they'd be here. So he's done fantastically well. Rangers decided, when Danny Rohl came in, Ally McCoist was commentating on a game, a European game with Rangers early in the season, they went, ‘It's like watching the Oompa Loompas here,’ because they were that small. I've been saying over the years that the physical side, they need to look at Arsenal and these teams now, they're just giants. Even the tricky players are giants. Since that game, when Rohl came in for Rangers, the actual size and the physical size of them has changed completely, which makes them harder to beat now. And people say, ‘They're not scoring that many goals,’ and technically, ‘They're not that exciting.’ But physically, it's hard to beat them. Celtic beat them on penalties. The first shot on target was apparently in the penalty shootout. So they're hard to beat, Rangers, now.

Falkirk and Rangers form guide

Falkirk: L L W D L W

Rangers: W D D W W W

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Rangers team news

Danny Rohl confirmed Record Sport’s exclusive update from earlier this week when he admitted striker Ryan Naderi has been sent for scans on a thigh injury that could end his season.

Tuur Rommens also remains out after missing last week’s Dundee United victory.

Mikey Moore and Andreas Skov Olsen are expected to be back.

Falkirk injury news

Falkirk will be without Ross MacIver and Louie Marsh, who missed their win over Motherwell.

However, Ben Parkinson, Liam Henderson and Kyrell Wilson could return.

Falkirk vs Rangers ref and VAR

Don Robertson will be assisted by Daniel McFarlane and Calum Spence on either side, while Andrew Dallas is on VAR.

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Rangers need to shake hoodoo

The Bairns have proven to a thorn in the side on the Light Blues.

Falkirk are unbeaten in their last four home league games against Rangers (W2 D2) since a 2-0 defeat in the Scottish Championship in August 2014.

History beckons for Falkirk?

Rangers have only lost one of their last 47 top-flight meetings with Falkirk (W38 D8), a 0-1 defeat in December 2006 under Paul Le Guen.

Last time out in Falkirk vs Rangers

It was time up for Russell Martin after the flop boss dropped more points.

He boss was given a police escort out of the Falkirk Stadium on Rangers’ last visit amid raging fan protests - and was shown the door shortly after.

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Hello and welcome!

The big games just keep coming with the Premiership title fight going all the way.

Celtic and Hearts held up their end of the bargain on Saturday with wins over St Mirren and Motherwell.

Now Rangers need to secure another big three points to keep pace with their rivals.

But Falkirk will be no pushovers - having booked their spot in the top six, and already taken points off of the Light Blues this term.

John McGlynn's men have their own ambitions of climbing the table - with fifth spot potentiallu enough to secure European football, should Celtic win the Scottish Cup.

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