RANGERS travel to Rugby Park tonight knowing that victory over Kilmarnock will ensure they head into the Old Firm game next month top of the Premiership.

And that is all the incentive Mark Warburton’s side should need as they look to record a third successive league win after seeing off Dundee and Motherwell in the last fortnight.

Psychologically, it is great to be first in the league and Rangers have got there without playing that well in the opening few weeks of the season. Mark will be the first to acknowledge that.

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I think a win at Kilmarnock is crucial and then, even if Celtic beat Aberdeen on Saturday, you know you will be ahead going to Parkhead in a couple of weeks. You will be going into the Old Firm game with a bit of confidence and momentum.

Rangers have yet to put together a complete performance in the Premiership this season and Mark is still searching for the right formula to get the best out of his squad.

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He has a lot of options in midfield and up front and it is a welcome problem to have, of course it is, but it is one he will have to solve on a game by game basis.

We have played Kilmarnock a couple of times in the last two seasons and beaten them but the team that plays at Rugby Park is not necessarily going to be the team you pick to try and win the Celtic game.

Every match is a battle when you are at Rangers. You have to match the effort of the opposition and then your quality should come through.Glasgow Times: Rangers manager Mark Warburton

If you lose the battle, then you will struggle to get the points. I have no doubt that Rangers will be up for it tonight but it is about Mark finding the balance in the side to bring out that quality.

He knows he has got the players capable of winning the league but it might take him another few weeks before he knows what his best team is.

The likes of Matt Crooks, Josh Windass and Jason Holt have still to come back into the squad as well so Mark will soon have even more options. He has to get everyone to fit into his plans.

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Rangers could afford to carry passengers when we were coming up through the leagues but we can’t do that this season. Every player has to be at it every week.

Mark would love to win the games with a bit of style but there are times when you just have to grind it out. They have done that a couple of times already this season and that is a positive.

Rangers haven’t played to the level they are capable of but they have still picked up points. To get a win at Killie is so important and if we can get a good performance as well then great.

It would be a huge lift for Rangers to win tonight going into the international break and then the countdown will be on to the Celtic game.Glasgow Times: Mark Warburton with Dominic Ball

It is fine Celtic saying they have a game in hand, but they have still to win that one and you would always rather have the points on the board.

Rangers, and Aberdeen and Hearts, have to put pressure on Brendan Rodgers and his players when they can so you can’t afford to be dropping silly points.

Celtic have a hard game against Aberdeen tomorrow so Rangers need to put as much pressure on them as they can. They are coming off a difficult night in Israel in midweek and we will see how they react.

There can be an advantage of playing before your rivals, but it is only a bonus if you win the game and get the points. If you don’t, then Celtic get the lift.

As a player, it is always great to see your team top of the table, even at this stage of the season.

Everyone expected Rangers to come out and play this great brand of football in the first few weeks and win all their games comfortably but teams haven’t allowed them to do that.

It hasn’t quite clicked for Rangers yet but there is still plenty more to come from this squad and it is up to the manager to get the best out of it as soon as possible.

That might mean changing the way they play within the system, or tweaking the system itself. Rangers need to be quicker with their movement and pass the ball better than they have done so far and there are concerns about the team defensively.

But you have to remember that there are a lot of new players in the side and it will take time for them to get up to speed. While they are doing that, it is vital that they continue to win games.

I think overall they will be happy in the Rangers dressing room at present. They know they haven’t been great so far but they are sitting there top of the league.

That is the most important thing for Rangers right now. The performances will come, but it is the points that really matter.