We're under way in Perth!

Here they come...published at 12:13

12:13

St Johnstone v Rangers (12:15)

Both sides trot out onto the sun-kissed McDiarmid Park pitch - cracking conditions for Premiership football.

Kick off moments away.

St Johnstone manager Tommy Wright has been explaining the changes to his side to BBC Radio Scotland.

"We played 4-4-2, but against Rangers we have to learn from our last game, when we were too open," he tells Sportsound.

"We have one striker, Matty Kennedy, and we hope his pace can be used to good effect.

"It is a formation, while one set up to nullify Rangers, it is not a negative one and will look to cause problems going forward.

"The run is incredible. One defeat in nine is a great record and we go again after last week's defeat."

Rangers manager Steven Gerrard has told BT Sport that Kyle Lafferty has a tight hamstring that will be assessed during today's warm-up for the game.

"We're short in that area [strikers] and is something we want to look at in January," says Gerrard.

"Creating chances isn't a problem; it's down to the players to take those chances and hopefully that'll change today."

Image source, SNS

Asked about the inclusion of defender Lee Wallace in the squad, Gerrard described Wallace as a good professional and that it's up to the player in terms of how much football he wants to play.

The last time the sides met? Rangers ran out 5-1 winners at Ibrox in September, with five different players on the scoresheet.

Goals from James Tavernier, Alfredo Morelos, Scott Arfield and Kyle Lafferty gave the hosts a 4-0 lead before a Blair Alston penalty offered St Johnstone scant consolation.

Daniel Candeias notched the fifth.

Image source, SNS

The last time St Johnstone recorded a victory against Rangers at McDiarmid Park? You have to go back to March 2010 when Murray Davidson and Cillian Sheridan were on target in a 4-1 win.

As we look out the window here at Pacific Quay Towers, the fog is fairly closing in. Visibility is not dissimilar to focusing on the television after one too many Christmas sherries.

Mercifully, Perth appears to have escaped the fog blanket and we'll be good to go at McDiarmid Park shortly.

Scotland midfielder Ryan Jack, who has just signed a contract extension, is a surprise absentee from Rangers' match-day squad as Steven Gerrard makes three changes from the side that fought out a goalless draw with Hibernian in midweek.

Veteran centre-half Gareth McAuley and Canada midfielder Scott Arfield also miss out, having both picked up injuries at Easter Road.

On-loan Nottingham Forest centre-half Joe Worrall comes back in, with Ross McCrorie and Andy Halliday starting in midfield.

Goalkeeper Wes Foderingham and out-of-favour Scotland left-back Lee Wallace return to the bench.

Image source, SNS

St Johnstone manager Tommy Wright is obviously looking to keep things tight and has brought in two midfielders in place of two forwards.

Ross Callachan and Blair Alston start, with Tony Watt and David McMillan dropping to the bench after last weekend's surprise home defeat by Motherwell.

It means Jason Kerr has shrugged off a knock to start, while fellow defender Steven Anderson is on the bench as he returns from injury.

Image source, SNS

Scottish table-tennis star Gavin Rumgay has been waxing eloquently in his BBC Sport column about his love of St Johnstone.

He feels it is "a badge of honour to support my local team".

Sir Alex Ferguson, Bobby Charlton, Mark Hughes, Fabian Barthez, Sergei and Elena Baltacha and Andy and Jamie Murray all get a mention.

You can read Gavin Rumgay's column here.

Some stats for you to chew over with your bacon roll or mince pie...

• St Johnstone have only won one of their past 15 matches against Rangers in the top flight
• Rangers have not lost away at St Johnstone in the league since March 2010
• Rangers are unbeaten in their past five away league games
• St Johnstone's Blair Alston has netted two goals in his past three games against Rangers

Richard Foster says there is "very little pressure" on St Johnstone this afternoon "as everyone expects Ranges to win".

"The size of the club [Rangers] the amount of fans they've got,and the budget they have outweighs us at every turn," the St Johnstone defender added.

Image source, SNS

"So, the pressure will be on them to win the game. Whereas, we can got out with a bit of freedom and try to put in a better show than certainly we did last time.

"And hopefully get the three points."

Rangers certainly head to Perth full of ambition judging from comments in this morning's newspapers.

Winger Glenn Middleton has targeted nine points in three games over seven days - including the 29 December derby with Celtic - to ensure they end the year at the top of the Premiership.

Midfielder Ryan Jack says they need to secure some kind of silverware for this season to be considered a success in Steven Gerrard's first campaign as manager. With the League Cup and Europa League gone, that leaves the Scottish Cup and league title as targets.

Image source, SNS

Meanwhile, assistant manager Gary McAllister has described the squad as "heroes" for being able to sustain a title challenge while also going all the way from the Europa League's opening round to the group stage.

Victory for the hosts this afternoon would lift them to fifth in the Premiership. Meanwhile, a win for Rangers would see them leapfrog Aberdeen and move into second spot ahead of the Boxing Day fixtures.

Image source, BBC Sport

How is your squad heading into the festive frenzy of fixtures?

Which present would you like in the form of a new player for the new year?

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St Johnstone: Clark, Foster, Tanser, Shaughnessy, Kerr, Craig, Wotherspoon, Alston, Callachan, Davidson, Kennedy.

Substitutes: Hurst, Gordon, Anderson, Nydam, Swanson, Watt, McMillan.

Rangers: McGregor, Tavernier, Barisic, Goldson, Worrall, Coulibaly, McCrorie, Halliday, Grezda, Candeias, Morelos.

Substitutes: Foderingham, Wallace, Katic, Flanagan, Rossiter, Middleton, Lafferty.