The Ibrox side’s seven-game winning streak was halted by a frustrating 2-2 draw at Dundee last week that allowed city rivals Celtic to open up a four-point gap at the summit.

Saints boss Valakari knows many will view the visit of his side to Ibrox as an ideal opportunity for Derek McInnes’ team to get themselves back on the victory trail but the Finn is intent on ensuring that is not the case.

“Rangers may not be the happiest after their last result on the road,” Valakari said on Thursday.

“Now they go back home and they will really want to show what they can do in front of their own fans. I believe they would like to score a lot of goals and show their domination.

“But it’s all about us and now we need to compete at a very good level. We need to go there and not let them breathe easily. We need to make them work for everything.

“It is one of these games when you see the schedule, you look and you go ‘okay, now we go to Ibrox’. It’s an interesting and tough challenge ahead of us.

“Our aim is to ask the questions of them and make them a little bit uncomfortable with what’s happening on the field.”

Valakari accepts Saints may be pinned back at times on Saturday but he has no plans to shelve his attacking principles for what is one of the toughest games his fifth-placed side will face all season.

“We need to play our way of football because when you go to these tough places, there is no point trying to be something different, trying to be something you are not, or you have not been in training,” he said.

“Yes, we know there will be moments when they will push us into a low block, when we need to execute our defending actions at a very high level.

“But then the ball is a power and it gives you the front-foot thinking when you can have the ball. And especially in places like this, you need to be able to have the ball. And that’s the challenge for us, what we can do then with the ball.

“It’s easy to say, ‘go and play, have no fear’. But when there are 50,000 people on you and you’re a little bit out of breath, the pressure will come. But in those moments, we should remember to breathe and show our composure because we are good footballers.

“Of course, it would be massive if we can win. But we can’t just go and hope. We need to go there and make things happen. And that’s what we are aiming to do.”