Rangers will begin the new season at home to Livingston on Saturday, in the first of 38 games to defend their Premiership title.

Having signed off pre-season with an enthralling 2-1 win over Real Madrid, which featured an excellent full debut from Fashion Sakala, the mood amongst supporters could hardly be better.

Steven Gerrard’s side starts season 2021/22 refreshed and with seriously impressive squad depth. But how will they fare against a tricky opponent in Livi?

How have Livingston fared this season?

The West Lothian outfit have played four Premier Sports Cup fixtures this term already and progressed through their group to set up a last 16 tie with St Mirren.

Across their group stage, they beat Brechin City and Cowdenbeath, but needed penalties to earn a bonus point against Raith Rovers and lost 2-1 to Alloa Athletic.

Martindale called his team “slow and lethargic in possession” against Barry Ferguson’s side and was also critical of the way they began their home tie with Raith. But a stronger second half, followed by a more “convincing win” over Cowdenbeath pleased the 47-year-old.

What can we learn from their encounters with Rangers last season?

Livingston became the form team in the country for a period last year, embarking on a remarkable 14-game unbeaten run.

Although, that ended with a real drop-off in performances from February onwards. A 3-0 loss to Dundee United seemed to turn the second half of their campaign on its head.

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When Martindale took the job full-time (indicated by the blue line), his side’s offensive numbers didn’t change dramatically. Instead, their xG conceded per game dropped notably, clocking a season-low of 0.58 in a 0-0 draw with Celtic in January.

They became a more aggressive and efficient team after he took the reigns.

This will be the first time Martindale takes his Livingston side to Ibrox, with the previous two encounters between him and Gerrard coming at the Toni Macaroni Arena.

The first of those, a 1-0 win earned by a late Alfredo Morelos strike, was a match Rangers should have won more comfortably, ending the game with an xG of 2.08 compared to the hosts' 0.44.

The second, a 3-0 season-ending win, had a distinct ‘end of season' feel to it, and was one of the most comfortable matches Rangers have played at the ground since their return to the top-flight.

How are they expected to play?

Livingston tended to play a 4-2-3-1 last season under Martindale, often with Marvin Bartley and Jason Holt in the double-pivot, relying on Nicky Devlin to provide width from right-back. Craig Sibbald, Scott Pittman and Josh Mullin were normally the trio fielded behind Scott Robinson or latterly Jay Emmanuel-Thomas.

A number of summer additions make it hard to predict exactly how they will approach Saturday's fixture.

Speaking to LFC live after the Cowdenbeath tie, Martindale said: “I could see what we did in Spain come to fruition, the patterns of play. There’s a lot of boys in the building who haven’t been Livingston players, so we are trying to get our work ethos and style of play into them. We need these boys to step up as quickly as possible.”

When at their best last season, Livi played a high-pressing, breathless brand of football. They would counterpress aggressively, squeeze up the pitch at any given opportunity and in general be a horrible opponent to face - and that's meant as a compliment.

This isn’t a side who should be finishing in the top six of the Scottish Premiership given their budget.

In the previous two matches between Martindale’s Livingston and Rangers, they have played similarly. As shown by the below table.

They aren’t concerned with building play, but trying to progress up the pitch either by winning a loose ball, or finding a run in behind, as shown by the percentage of long balls they play.

Only averaging roughly two passes per possession demonstrates that they are far more concerned with intensity and pace in the first phase of possession.

Who are their main danger men?

Bruce Anderson was signed during the summer from Aberdeen and although probably not at the level of Emmanuel-Thomas, could help Livi be better without the ball than they were towards the tail end of last season.

As mentioned above, a 3-0 loss to Dundee United killed their season as shown by the underlying numbers. That also, coincidently, was the last time Robinson started a game for them.

After that defeat at Tannadice, Martindale mentioned his side had to play slightly differently to accommodate for Emmanuel-Thomas.

Looking back on last season, their form was at its best when Robinson was spearheading the press and harrying opponents. Anderson should better complement the team's style off the ball.

Former Rangers youngster Andrew Shinnie also joined up in the summer, signing a two-year deal at the club. He represents a real quality boost across their front four.

How will they try to hurt Rangers?

Rangers’ struggles in the past against Livi have tended to come away from home. In Gerrard’s tenure, points have twice been dropped in these encounters. A 1-0 loss in 2018, and 0-0 draw right at the start of last season’s title-winning campaign.

You’d expect this match to follow the course of last year’s domestic fixtures at Ibrox, in which Rangers attempt to move the opposition and create gaps.

They must be wary their high line is not exploited by the aforementioned quick and direct build-up play employed by Livingston. Further, if Josh Mullin is to play from the right, he poses a real threat with his delivery.

Given Rangers' shape can sometimes leave them vulnerable to crossed balls from attacks down the side, they must be vigilant of this threat.