CURRENT FORM
David Martindale’s side suffered a surprise Scottish Cup fifth round exit at the hands of Inverness last weekend with the Championship side winning 3-0 against tomorrow’s opponents.
Livi’s league form saw them run out 3-1 winners over Kilmarnock in their last outing and prior to a 3-0 defeat against Celtic, they enjoyed an impressive January which saw them go unbeaten in all competitions.
Three wins and two draws last month saw them maintain a steady campaign in the Scottish Premiership.
Currently occupying fourth place, the Lions will look to keep pace in and around the European places and maintain the third best defensive record in the league behind the top two conceding 34 goals overall.
MANAGER
David Martindale is the third longest serving manager in the division, having been initially appointed as interim manager in December 2020. After an impressive run of results, guiding the club to a fifth-place finish, Martindale has been in the role on a permanent basis since July 2021.
Competing in the Scottish Premiership for the fifth consecutive season the boss has helped guide his side to sixth and seventh placed finishes in the last two seasons as they have fully established themselves as a top-flight club.
Martindale also took the side to the League Cup final during his spell as interim manager in 2021, losing out 1-0 to eventual winners St. Johnstone.
STYLE OF PLAY
The manager has tended to persist with a variation of the 4-3-3 system in recent weeks, with the exception of the three at the back formation they operated at Celtic Park last month.
Three former Gers in their ranks - Jason Holt, Stephen Kelly and Andrew Shinnie - have consistently rotated in midfield with Scott Pitman often being the man to break forward and support the attack.
Joel Nouble he has been providing a threat from a wider role in recent weeks in support of striker Bruce Anderson.
KEY PLAYER
Joel Nouble has been a threat scoring in both meetings between the sides this season, including the opener in the most recent match at Ibrox in October.
Getting on the scoresheet in Livingston’s most recent 3-1 league win over Kilmarnock the forward will be one to watch tomorrow afternoon. The striker has four goals this season as well as providing two assists in 17 Scottish Premiership appearances so far this campaign.
PREVIOUS MEETINGS
Rangers had to score a stoppage time equaliser when the sides last met and played out a 1-1 draw on October 22, last year. Nouble opened the scoring on the day for the visitors after just four minutes and the away side were just minutes away from a win at Ibrox before John Lundstram saved a point for the Light Blues in added time.
Gers made the perfect start to their league campaign on their last trip to the Tony Macaroni Arena, running out 2-1 winners on the opening day of the season. After suffering an early setback through Nouble’s opener Rangers responded with an impressive second-half showing through a quick-fire double with two goals in two minutes from Scott Arfield and an expert free-kick from captain James Tavernier.