Defender Ash Taylor insists Aberdeen can end Rangers' unbeaten league run

Aberdeen's Ash Taylor battles with Dundee United's Louis Appere

Defender Ash Taylor believes Aberdeen can halt the league juggernaut of runaway Premiership leaders Rangers.

The Dons have already lost twice this season to a Rangers side unbeaten in the Premiership and looking increasingly like champions elect.

Currently 19 points clear at the top of the table Steven Gerrard’s Rangers travel to Pittodrie on Sunday.

The Ibrox club have won 20 and drawn two of their opening 22 Premiership fixtures.

Rangers are flying this season and doing really well.

“They are well drilled, so it will be a tough ask, but we have the players in the squad who are capable of doing it.”

Ash Taylor

Aberdeen lost the opening game of the season 1-0 to Rangers at Pittodrie and also suffered a 4-0 hammering in Glasgow in November.

Taylor wants payback for those defeats.

On potentially ending Rangers unbeaten league run, the 30-year-old said: “Rangers are flying this season and doing really well.

Tommie Hoban (left) and Ash Taylor (right) in a missed chance for Aberdeen against Dundee United.

“They are well drilled, so it will be a tough ask, but we have the players in the squad who are capable of doing it.

“If we keep putting the right type of balls in the box, we know the goals will come.

“It is always a tough game against Rangers and they had a good result (1-0 defeat of Celtic).

“We will plan our week and be fully focused on getting a result.”

Aberdeen produced a disappointing performance in losing to Rangers at Pittodrie in the opening game of the Premiership season on August 1.

A low point of the season so far for the Reds was a 4-0 humbling – the Reds’ last league defeat.

Taylor is confident Aberdeen have improved since the season opener and offers mitigating circumstances for the heavy loss in Govan.

He said: “We are in a better place than we were at the start of the season and will look to put in a better performance.

“We had players missing (in the loss at Ibrox) and some of the goals were deflections.

“It was a difficult one to take.

“We will look to put in a solid performance this time.”

Ash Taylor, centre, after the 4-0 loss at Rangers.

Aberdeen suffered further frustration in front of goal when drawing 0-0 with Dundee United in the New Firm derby.

It was the second goal-less stalemate in three games, having been held 0-0 by struggling Motherwell on December 22.

Rangers have conceded just five goals in 22 league games with 18 clean sheets.

Taylor accepts scoring chances could be limited on Sunday and warned Aberdeen must be ruthless in capitalising on any.

He said: “We need to do better in the forward areas than we did against Dundee United.

“We were good in the first half and got some good balls in.

“However, in the second half we were a bit rushed to try to score.

“We fizzled out in the second half and could have been better.

“We created chances, but didn’t manage to get the goal to take the three points.”

Aberdeen striker Curtis Main and Dundee United captain Mark Reynolds battle for the ball in the New Firm derby.

Taylor believes Aberdeen should have been awarded a penalty in the first half by referee Keven Clancy when Dundee United’s Mark Connolly brought down Ryan Hedges in the box.

The Dons also had a second spot-kick claim turned down when Connolly handled an Andy Considine header.

He said: “I didn’t see the one with Andy, but the one with Ryan was a penalty.

“He clipped him. You could hear it as well.

“He has gone down. It was a stonewaller for me.”