Scottish League Cup holders Rangers begin their defence of the Scottish League Cup on Saturday when they face St Johnstone in a second-round clash at Hampden Park.
The Gers are currently playing their home matches at Scotland's national stadium due to ongoing construction work taking place at Ibrox.
Match preview
© Reuters
After picking up four points from their opening two Scottish Premiership games of the new season, Rangers have since crashed out of the Champions League after losing 3-1 on aggregate to Dynamo Kiev in the third qualifying round.
The Gers had Cyriel Dessers to thank for scoring a stoppage-time equaliser to rescue a 1-1 first-leg draw, but they fell to a 2-0 defeat at Hampden Park on Tuesday, with the harsh second-half dismissal of summer signing Jefte followed by two quick Dynamo Kyiv goals in the final eight minutes to end their Champions League hopes for another season.
Philippe Clement has claimed that the "decisive moment" to send off Jefte was "the worst decision I have seen in more than 30 years of football" and while he was keen to vent his frustration at the officials, the Belgian insisted that he and his players must "move on and take positive lessons" from the two-legged affair.
Rangers will now drop down into the less lucrative Europa League for the second successive season, but before they take part in that newly-expanded competition at the end of next month, they must first focus on rebuilding a positive run of form on the domestic front.
The Gers, who beat Aberdeen in last season's Scottish League Cup final, have progressed from the second round in each of the last 10 years and will fancy their chances of success against St Johnstone, whom they have beaten by an aggregate score of 10-0 across their last five meetings.
© Reuters
After failing to escape the group stage of last season's Scottish League Cup, St Johnstone have progressed to the second round this term after accumulating nine points from four matches to finish top of Group F.
The Saint secured their place in the next round courtesy of a thumping 5-1 home victory over fourth-tier outfit East Fife, before being brought back down to earth in the Scottish Premiership with a 2-1 defeat to Aberdeen - their first league loss of the campaign.
However, Craig Levein's side returned to winning ways in impressive fashion last Sunday, beating Kilmarnock 3-0 away from home in the top flight courtesy of a first-half brace from Adama Sidibeh and a second-half penalty converted by Benjamin Kimpioka.
St Johnstone supporters are sure to reminisce about their 2020-21 campaign when they triumphed in both the Scottish Cup and League Cup, winning the latter competition for the first time in their history.
Progressing deep into this season's competition could prove challenging for the Saints, though, as they come up against a Rangers outfit whom they have beaten just twice in their last 21 meetings in all tournaments; one of those, however, was on penalties in the quarter-finals of the 2021 Scottish League Cup.
Team News
© Imago
Rangers left-back Ridvan Yilmaz was stretchered off in midweek with a thigh injury and is set to join Nicolas Raskin (ankle) and Oscar Cortes (knee) in the treatment room.
The expected absence of Yilmaz could see Jefte fill in at left-back, with either Rabbi Matondo, Scott Wright or new signing Vaclav Cerny handed a start on the left flank.
Danilo will be pushing to start up front ahead of Dessers, while the likes of Liam Kelly, Leon King, Dujon Sterling and Kieran Dowell will also be hoping to force their way into the first XI after beginning as substitutes in midweek.
As for St Johnstone, striker Uche Ikpeazu remains sidelined with a groin injury, while defender Sam McClelland was stretchered off with a ruptured Achilles just over a week ago and is facing a lengthy spell on the sidelined.
Levin is set to name a strong starting lineup including attacking pair Kimpioka and Sidibeh, who have already scored 10 goals between then in six matches so far this season.
Rangers possible starting lineup:
Kelly; Tavernier, Souttar, Propper, Jefte; Diomande, Dowell; Cerny, Lawrence, Wright; Danilo
St Johnstone possible starting lineup:
Rae; Neilson, Sanders, Cameron; Wright, MacPherson, Smith, Essel, Raymond; Sidibeh, Kimpioka
We say: Rangers 2-1 St Johnstone
Rangers were left wounded from their heart-breaking midweek defeat in the Champions League, but Clement will be confident that his side can bounce back this weekend and we are backing the Gers to edge past their Perth-based counterparts into the third round.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Oliver Thomas
