Derek McInnes stresses importance of belief as Killie eye latest scalp at Ibrox

Kilmarnock manager Derek McInnes will encourage his players to go to Ibrox with confidence as they look to continue their impressive record against the biggest clubs in the Premiership.

Killie beat Rangers on the opening day of the season and have since recorded two wins apiece against Celtic and Aberdeen.

The Ayrshire side head to Govan on Tuesday on a six-match unbeaten run which sees them sitting fourth in the table.

And McInnes stressed the importance of belief ahead of a meeting with a Rangers outfit looking to quickly bounce back from defeat by Celtic.

“It’s a selling job a lot of the time,” McInnes told the Open Goal YouTube channel.

“You have got to take confidence from your form and take confidence from how you work Monday to Friday. I’m a big believer in that.

“Players can’t always play their way into the team through their training but they can play their way out of it and I do think training is really important.

“Tactically and physically players need to go into a game ready to play but mentally they need to be ready to compete.

“We went away from home last season too many times and just didn’t have any real conviction about anything we were doing. You lose the first goal and it all seemed a bit too much for us at times.

“Whereas this season we are competing far better, still got the home form, and to beat good teams, you have got to do a lot right. We have beaten Celtic twice, beaten Rangers, beaten Aberdeen twice.

“I think the players take confidence from each other rather than anything we are doing, to be honest. They see we have a good team, and they should do.

“I want them to believe they are not in a relegation battle and I want them to believe they are fighting for top six. I don’t want us to wait until five, 10 games to go and think ‘we could have made top six’ I want them to act that way now.

“I’m working with less players this season, the squad is tighter, but for me it’s better, I have better options.”