Giovanni van Bronckhorst takes his Rangers side to Perth knowing a win is vital to their chances of retaining the championship trophy.

After two draws in succession, any slip up here could hand Celtic unassailable momentum.

There are 10 games left to decide the destination of the trophy and given the wafer-thin margins at play, it looks like every single one may count.

Here are the key points to consider ahead of the big match this evening.

Breaking the block

St Johnstone have a decent defensive record despite languishing in 11th place. Their problems this season stem from their serious issues scoring goals. They have hit the net just 18 times in 28 games, by far the worst performance in the league. Even Dundee, rooted to the bottom have scored five more goals than their Tayside rivals.

So you don’t have to be a rocket scientist to predict how Callum Davidson is going to set his team up on what will likely be a cold February night at McDiarmid Park. He will look to withstand the early tide of attacks, cause frustration and indecision, then ramp up the tension as the match progresses by introducing pace of Michael O’Halloran against tired legs.

It will be up to van Bronckhorst to solve this problem by scoring early goals and ensuring the Perth side don’t have the opportunity to use a game management style that was a major factor in taking them to two trophy wins last season.

READ MORE: Giovanni van Bronckhorst Rangers Q+A in full

Rangers will require creativity and much sharper finishing than has been showcased in the previous two matches when 58 shots have only resulted in three goals.

No rotation will take its toll

One of the key elements that took Rangers to a 55th league title was the strength and depth of a squad that saw many across the group step up at key times. Rangers’ player of the year was an almost impossible task because key individuals shone brightly at different times.

This was the result of three years of team-building by Steven Gerrard as he realised the team’s reliance on Alfredo Morelos, a streaky player who for all his talents isn’t a natural finisher, could be problematic. The emergence of Ianis Hagi and Kemar Roofe as reliable scorers and creators made all the difference.

Giovanni van Bronckhorst seems to favour a more old school approach to the final 10 games of the campaign.

He told the media yesterday: “You definitely look at how players will feel but you have to play the strongest team possible in every game we play from now on.

“Of course, physically it's a big factor but you cannot rest players. We have players feeling ok and feeling fresh, we have to start with our strongest team possible.”

It’s a big statement from the manager given the number of games played so far this season and the age profile and injury profile of some around the team. There's no sugar-coating it - such a policy is a gamble that could lead to burnout. The likes of Filip Helander, Leon Balogun, Aaron Ramsey and Ryan Jack will need to be managed and their games picked judiciously. Even Scott Arfield, at 33-years-old, can't be expected to turn it on for two games a week.

It will be fascinating to see if he makes good on his comments but they seem at odds with what's come before under the previous regime.

Two simple Rangers fixes

James Tavernier bristled at the notion the team hasn’t been playing well during the press conference yesterday and he’s probably got a point. While draws against Dundee United and Motherwell have been costly, the performances should have been good enough to take six points. Profligate finishing, sloppy build-up play in attacking areas, bad or marginal refereeing calls and defensive moments of madness have all been at play at various times across the 180 minutes.

READ MORE: James Tavernier Rangers Q+A in full

While Rangers can do nothing about the struggles of Scottish refereeing beyond attempting to influence the SPFL to move out of the dark ages over VAR, there is plenty to work on regarding the other two elements plaguing their game.

At the back, the team look untroubled yet have conceded three goals to sides who barely laid a glove. The structure of the team remains solid and individual mistakes have been at the heart of these issues.

Filip Helander lost his man against Dundee United while both goals against Motherwell had multiple errors by different players. It’s an inexplicable situation to see champions like Connor Goldson, James Tavernier and Allan McGregor fall prey to simple errors but they must show once again they have the mentality to come back stronger from the setback.

In forward areas, the strikers must show the ruthlessness of purpose that has been a trademark in Europe. Ryan Kent in particular has to start contributing with goals. He’s far too talented a winger to be sitting on a paltry two for the season so far. There's no doubting his class but he's not getting close to goal often enough.