Dundee will face reigning champions Rangers at home on Saturday in the Scottish Premiership. Dundee faced their third loss of the season against Dundee United last weekend and are sitting at the bottom of the table. Rangers saw a disappointing result as well as they failed to beat Motherwell in a game which they dominated but still remain top of the table.
Dundee came off the worse in the last 10 minutes against rivals Dundee United last Sunday, conceding the only goal at the death in a 1-0 loss. Dundee have failed to score a single goal in their last three league games. They have only scored four goals so far and also have the second-worst defensive record in the league conceding 12 goals in six matches.
Despite the loss, Dundee proved that they can be a threat to the opposition’s defence at times. They had a higher xG than Dundee United in their previous game and attempted nine shots on goal. They had a shot on target percentage of 33.33% which means one third of their attempts were on target. Most of these attempts were in positions close to the goal which resulted in them having a higher xG.
From the above visual we can depict that Dundee were more of a threat to the opposition from the left flank. Jordan Marshal, the Dundee left-back, attempted the most number of crosses for them and also had the highest expected threat from his crosses. Dundee had the better chances to score in the game but failed to make most of these chances. Leigh Griffiths will be the player who can change the game for Dundee as he created the most meaningful chances for them against Dundee United.
Rangers remained top of the league despite a disappointing 1-1 draw at home to Motherwell last Sunday. They were helped out by the other results in the league as both Hibernian and Hearts were held to a draw. Rangers attacked and attacked against Motherwell, but to their disappointment, their players could not convert the chances they created.
James Tavernier has been one of the main attacking threats for Rangers this season. He is second on the table for most number of goal contributions and has contributed towards four of the eleven goals that they have scored. The right-back has already provided three assists and scored a goal this season in five matches he has played. Tavernier has attempted the most number of crosses in the league and averages seven crosses per 90 minutes.
Dundee have failed to win a single game so far in the league. They start this weekend’s fixtures at the bottom of the Scottish Premiership joint with Ross County on three points from six matches and it won’t be any easy for them in their upcoming game against the reigning champions. Rangers will be will be desperate to make the best of the poor form of Dundee and secure all three points to remain at the top of the table.
