Glasgow Rangers finally return to action in the Scottish Premiership this afternoon when they welcome Kilmarnock to Ibrox after the international break.
Three weeks without a game came at the wrong time for the Light Blues because they won six matches in succession, keeping five clean sheets, under Derek McInnes.
The Scottish boss is finding his feet at Ibrox and is looking to succeed where many of his predecessors have failed, by winning the league title this season.
Kilmarnock are the latest test for the former Hearts head coach and they come to Ibrox for the first time since Danny Rohl faced them earlier this year.
How Rangers fared against Kilmarnock last time out
Killie last came to Ibrox in the Premiership at the start of February, when Rohl was still in the dugout for Rangers, and they were swept aside with relative ease.
James Tavernier, Bojan Miovski, Andreas Skov Olsen, Oliver Antman, and Mikey Moore all got on the scoresheet, and Kilmarnock only scored their goal as a consolation when they were already 3-0 down.
It was an incredibly dominant performance by the Light Blues, who created 2.84 xG and six ‘big chances’, and it marked the only time that Skov Olsen scored a goal for the club.
The Denmark international arrived as an exciting addition on loan from Wolfsburg in the January transfer window, but the winger failed to deliver consistent quality at the top end of the pitch.
|
2025/26 Premiership |
Andreas Skov Olsen |
|---|---|
|
Appearances |
9 |
|
xG |
0.71 |
|
Goals |
1 |
|
xA |
1.16 |
|
Assists |
3 |
|
Successful dribbles per game |
0.7 |
Skov Olsen only scored one goal in nine appearances in the Premiership, as he often looked anonymous in the final third, and went back to Germany at the end of his loan spell, despite having an option to buy in his deal.
Rangers have found their new Skov Olsen
Now, ahead of playing Kilmarnock for the first time since that day, Rangers have their new version of Skov Olsen and no one is talking about it.
In the summer transfer window, the Scottish giants swooped to sign Min-su Kim from Spanish side Girona for a fee of £8.5m to bolster their options in the final third.
The 20-year-old attacker is an incredibly versatile player who can play on either flank or through the middle as a number ten, which makes him a good fit for the 4-2-3-1 and 4-4-1-1 systems that McInnes likes to deploy.
Unfortunately, he has not shown enough quality at the top end of the pitch in his appearances in those positions so far, and is already in danger of going down as the club’s next Skov Olsen.
The South Korea international should be dropped from the team for this clash with Kilmarnock after starting the 1-0 win over Celtic before the international break.
Kim has yet to deliver a single goal or assist in six appearances in all competitions for the Scottish giants, and has struggled to offer much in possession in the Premiership.
|
26/27 Premiership |
Min-su Kim |
|---|---|
|
Appearances |
5 |
|
Starts |
4 |
|
Shots per game |
3.2 |
|
xG |
1.72 |
|
Goals |
0 |
|
xA |
0.44 |
|
Assists |
0 |
In the league, the South Korean forward has failed to score in five appearances, despite taking 3.2 shots per game and racking up 1.72 xG for Rangers, which speaks to his lack of quality as a finisher.
The fact that he has only created 0.44 xA worth of chances in five outings in the league also suggests that he is not offering much as a creative force for the Gers.
Whilst it was his shot from range that led to Ryan Naderi’s winning goal against Celtic at Parkhead last time out, Kim’s all-round performances in the league suggest that he should be dropped to the bench against Kilmarnock.
His underwhelming displays may not be being spoken about because he is full of energy and tries a lot of things, taking 3.2 shots a game, but his output has not been good enough.
Findlay Curtis, who registered four assists for Scotland’s U21s during the international break, could come in to replace him on the right side of the attack.
Taking Kim out of the team does not mean that he is a total flop who does not have any hope at Ibrox, though, as he is a young player who will go through good and bad spells before developing and settling down.
At the moment, he looks like Skov Olsen, but with a bit of experience and development, Kim could go on to become the new Ryan Kent or Ianis Hagi in Glasgow.
