ICT V Rangers - Preview

With the streak of winless games stretching each week, Rangers are not the best side to face when you need to put it to an end especially when Celtic could only draw on Boxing Day. Andrew Fraser previews the game ....

DETAILS

Inverness CT v Rangers Tulloch Caledonian Stadium Wednesday 27th December at 8pm (LIVE on Setanta) Referee: Craig Thomson Others: John Bicknell, Gary Cheyne (Assistants), Scott MacDonald (4th official). Tickets: This match is an all-ticket match and is already a SELL-OUT. TV-info: LIVE on Setanta TV or commentary on BBC Radio Scotland. FIXTURES AND RESULTS Tuesday 26th December: Aberdeen 3-1 Kilmarnock Celtic 2-2 Dundee Utd Dunfermline 0-2 Motherwell Hearts 3-2 Hibernian (2pm) St Mirren 1-0 Falkirk Wednesday 27th December: Inverness CT v Rangers (Setanta, 8pm) SPL RESULTS Saturday 23rd December: Aberdeen (Lovell) 1-2 Rangers (Novo, Sionko) Celtic (Gravesen) 1-0 Falkirk Dundee Utd 0-1 Hearts (Hartley pen) Dunfermline (Crawford sent off) 0-0 Inverness CT Hibernian (Beuzelin, Killen, Shiels, Zemmama, Benjelloun) 5-1 St Mirren (Sutton) Kilmarnock (Naismith, Hay sent off) 1-2 Motherwell (Foran, Patterson; Paterson, Clarkston both sent off) RECENT SPL FORM Inverness CT: DLLLD Rangers: WDWLW PAST MEETINGS The teams have played a total of 8 times (7 League, 1 Cup) with 17 goals (6 Inverness CT, 11 Rangers) between them. Inverness CT: 1 wins (1 League, 0 Cup) Draws: 3 (3 League, 0 Cup) Rangers: 4 wins (3 League, 1 Cup) A GAME TO REMEMBER For this weeks game to remember we take you back to one of the four SPL encounters that have taken place at Ibrox. It was last seasons meeting at this venue that took place on the 29th October 2005. Inverness CT had already lost 1-0 and drawn 1-1 before at Ibrox so were looking for more points of Glasgow Rangers. Rangers started the better with Ricksen hitting the crossbar but it was a surprised Inverness CT that took the lead thanks to a wonder goal. Craig Dargo ran onto a Mark Brown goal kick and he hit a spectacular dipping shot that beat Waterreus. They could have been 2 up had Morgan’s shot from the edge of the area gone on target. Inverness were 1-0 up at half time and the Highlanders loved every minute of it, especially the fans who sang right through the interval. Rangers immediately bombarded the Caley goal and got the equaliser through Steve Thompson on the 54th minute. However, the Inverness defence held firm throughout the rest of the match even though being reduced to 10 men due to Bayne getting sent off. Even though giving away the lead, Inverness CT were still delighted with a point at Ibrox and heaped more pressure on McLeish. The attendance was 47687. The teams were as follows: INVERNESS CT: Brown, Tokely, Dods, Munro, Hastings, Duncan, Black, Proctor, Morgan, Bayne, Dargo. Subs- Wyness (for Dargo), Fraser, McCaffrey, Parratt, Hart, Juanjo. RANGERS: Waterreus, Hutton, Malcolm, Andrews, Bernard, Ferguson, Ricksen, Hemdani, Burke, Prso, Lovenkrands. Subs- Thompson (for Burke), Klos, Rae, Murray, Namouchi, Smith, McCormack. The referee was Iain Brines and there were 7 bookings and 1 sending off on the day. Hemdani, Malcolm and Ricksen all got cautioned for Rangers and Bayne, Black, Tokely and Dargo all got cautioned for Inverness with Bayne later getting sent off. Only one of the Inverness players who started the match has left the club, David Proctor going to Dundee Utd. FACTS BETWEEN THE TEAMS • All League meetings between the teams have taken place in the SPL. • Inverness CT had never won against Rangers, until the last meeting at Ibrox. • This will be Paul Le Guen’s first taste of playing the Highlanders in Inverness. • Charlie Christie’s first official game since taking over the manager’s job permanently was at home to Rangers, 11 months ago. • The last time these two came face to face Inverness CT won remarkably down in Glasgow in Govan. A Graham Bayne goal was enough to dent Rangers title hopes further and silence 47000 hopefuls. • Rangers have never failed to win in Inverness!!! PLAYERS TO WATCH Gary McSwegan (Inverness CT): Inverness currently lack a goal scorer, and by the sounds of it on Saturday, Rory McAllister isn’t the missing link at the moment. The team missed Craig Dargo on Saturday and hopefully he will be fit for tonight’s match but if not, the team may miss him. With Wyness still to find the net this season and Bayne struggling for consistency, McSwegan may be the only hope we have. He may be old, but he has experience (including playing for Rangers) and could be the answer to our goal scoring problems. I honestly don’t think Gary would start the game tonight but possibly if he gets a substitute appearance he may just find his first goal for the club!! Libor Sionko (Rangers): The creative midfielder is turning into one of the very few decent signings Paul Le Guen has made. He has managed to turn in some decent performances lately and is hoping to continue in the vital games ahead. He has 3 goals to his name, all in the SPL with the latest in the game last Saturday against Aberdeen at Pittodrie. Sionko did not play in the match earlier in the season between these two teams. FUTURE FIXTURES 31st Mar 2007 at Ibrox Stadium NOTE TO ALL FANS I hope everyone reading this preview had a very Merry Christmas. I wish everyone a happy new year no matter who you support. 2007= a year that brings many victories for Inverness CT. Squad: Mark Brown, Jonathon Smith, Michael Fraser, Darren Dods, Stuart Soane, Ross Tokely, Guy Kerr, Richard Hastings, Stuart McCaffrey, Stuart Golabek, Grant Munro, John Rankin, Ian Black, Roy McBain, Zander Sutherland, Alan Morgan, Barry Wilson, Russell Duncan, Craig Dargo, Gary McSwegan, Rory McAllister, Dennis Wyness, Graham Bayne Injured: Liam Keogh Richie Hart Suspended: Nobody.

History

H / A / N	Matches	W	D	L	Goals	+ / -
H	2	0	0	2	2 - 4	-2
A	2	1	1	0	2 - 1	+1
N	0	0	0	0	0 - 0	+0
Total	4	1	1	2	4 - 5	-1

Date&time	Comp.	H / A / N	Final score
14.10.2006 at 15:00	League	A	1 - 0
29.01.2006 at 14:00	League	H	2 - 3
29.10.2005 at 15:00	League	A	1 - 1
06.08.2005 at 15:00	League	H	0 - 1