Philippe Clement has named five changes to his Rangers side for this evening’s Premier Sports Cup tie against St Johnstone.
From the midweek match against Dynamo Kyiv, Kieran Dowell, Dujon Sterling, Vaclav Cerny, Rabbi Matondo and Danilo all come into the starting XI.
Connor Barron, Cyriel Dessers and Ross McCausland are on the bench, while Ridvan and Tom Lawrence are not in the matchday squad.
That means Rangers line-up at Hampden with Jack Butland in goal and a back four of James Tavernier, John Souttar, Robin Propper and Jefte.
Mohamed Diomande remains in midfield, and he is joined there by Kieran Dowell and Dujon Sterling, while there’s a change up front as Danilo makes his first competitive start of the season with support in the wide areas from Rabbi Matondo and Vaclav Cerny.
On the bench today are Liam Kelly, Connor Barron, Ben Davies, Leon King, Ross McCausland, Robbie Fraser, Cole McKinnon and Bailey Rice.
The Ibrox side started the defence of their trophy with a hard fought victory over the men from Perth
Cyriel Dessers was a frustrated figure at Hampden when Rangers lost to Dynamo Kyiv in the Champions League.
The Nigeria international was spotted seemingly venting his fury at fans after their groans when he failed to control a pass.
But jeers turned to cheers for Dessers and his team-mates as they bounced back from that Euro misery with the much-maligned striker coming off the bench to break the deadlock in their Premier Sports Cup tie against St Johnstone before fellow sub Ross McCausland netted a second late on.
The 2-0 victory helps ease a bit of the pressure on Philippe Clement as they can now look forward to the draw for the last eight after rivals Celtic's game against Hibs on Sunday.
There was some confusion around Dessers opener after referee Matthew MacDermid looked to have awarded a foul against the striker in the build up.
But the man in the middle blew his whistle after the ball had hit the back of the net, allowing for a VAR check and the goal was given after he reviewed it on the monitor.
Philippe Clement has backed the officials for allowing play to go on before determining whether a foul had been made in the build-up Rangers opening goal in the 2-0 win against St Johnstone in the last 16 of the Premier Sports Cup.
Controversy arose just after the hour mark when Cyriel Dessers wheeled away in celebration after finding the back of the net, only for the goal to chalked off by on-field referee Matthew MacDermid, before VAR reccomended that a goal be awarded.
Despite the deliberation, Belgian boss Clement had no qualms with the officiating team for relying on the use of technology to come to the right decision. Speaking to Premier Sports, he said: “I haven't seen the images back but I had the feeling that the referee felt that Cyriel had made a foul.
Dessers' opening goal for Rangers against St Johnstone initially appeared to have been chalked off by whistler MacDermid, who appeared to gesture for a foul on Jack Sanders before the ball hit the back of the net. The St Johnstone bench were then left raging when he was called over to the VAR screen to check the goal - which they feel shouldn't have been the case if the whistle was blown before the goal.
Cyriel Dessers was in no doubt that the correct call was made to allow his opening goal to stand.
The Nigeria forward collided with Jack Saunders after latching onto Rabbi Matondo's pass before composing himself to finish.
After a lengthy delay, VAR awarded the goal despite the initial decision from onfield referee Matthew MacDermid who blew for a foul by the striker.
He said:
For me I got the ball in my pathway and he stepped on my foot and it hurt. For me it was not a foul and if it was it was the other way because he stepped on my foot. I didn't try to trip him or anything, he stepped on my foot.
It wasn't all plain sailing, but Rangers are the fifth team to seal their spot in the last eight of the Premier Sports Cup.
Two goals and a clean sheet will be very welcome to boss Clement after a difficult week in the Govan camp.
Dessers has came off the bench to great effect, but subs Barron, Fraser and McCausland have all really given Rangers a real freshness to their play.
The Light Blues are facing well documented problems at the moment, but can take comfort from the impact their young stars can make in turning a game to their advantage.
And just like that, the Gers book their place in the last eight.
Moments after Sidibeh goes close at the other end, McCausland races clear to expertly dink the ball over Rae to wrap things up for the hosts.
Levein's men are out on their feet but keeper Rae refuses to throw in the towel just yet.
His latest save denies sub Ross McCausland from ending the tie.
EIGHT minutes of additional play have been added at Hampden.
Youngster Robbie Fraser almost gets in on the act just five minutes after coming on.
The midfielder finds space and fires a shot at Rae from inside the box but goes straight down the stopper's throat.
There is never a game that goes by in Scottish football without a degree of controversy and drama.
But on this occasion, the right decision was made to award Dessers the opener, it's just how they came to the final call that has got people talking.
Here is why Rangers were correctly given the goal that broke the deadlock.
The Saints are throwing caution to the wind and have called upon veteran forward Nicky Clark.
Can the former Rangers man come back to haunt his old team?
Rangers are in the ascendency, but with the score still at 1-0 you just never know.
Barron has had the desired impact from the bench to give that element of control but the job is not quite done yet.
St Johnstone have now gone to their bench to replace Cammy MacPherson with MacKenzie Kirk.
Given Rangers dominance, the Tayside team really have it all to do if they want to force this to extra time at least.
After consulting the VAR team, referee Matthew MacDermid has pointed to the centre circle and the Gers are in front!
What drama at the national stadium!
Nigeria international Dessers has taken Danilo's place for the second half.
Clement will be hoping that his number nine can put away some of the very good opportunities squandered by his teammate.
The second half is now underway in south-east Glasgow.
The first 45 minutes saw some big moments in both boxes, but who can find that clincial edge to break the deadlock?
The two sides go into the interval goalless.
Rangers will certainly feel that they could be two or three up, but Sidibeh's big chance at the other end will have St Johnstone believing that they can be the team to progress to the last eight.
The Perth stopper has been a busy man this evening.
Matondo picks out Cerny at the back post but Rae is alert to make a smart save with his right foot.
The number 99 is racking up his efforts on goal at Hampden and goes one step closer here.
He rises high to make contact with a good header that has Rae scrambling before it goes narrowly wide.
Ibrox boss Clement has suffered another huge injury blow.
Defender Robin Propper has limped off with what appears to be a groin injury, with Ben Davies taking his place.
A penny for the Belgian gaffer's thoughts right now..
At the other end, the away team have created their first big opening.
After a smart break, Sidibeh connects with Matt Smith's superb cross and hits Butland's left-hand post with a smart effort.
The goamouth action is coming in droves as the first 45 minutes near it's conclusion.
The Wolfsburg loanee has passed up arguavbly the biggest chance of the half.
The Czech winger is left free by opposite number Raymond inside the area, but with the goal at his mercy smashes a right-footed shot over the bar.
A big sigh of relief for the Saints back line who were certainly exposed there.
The wing back has been a lively figure so far and tries his luck from distance.
Jefte makes good contact with his left-footed curler but sees it fly just over the top of the bar.
Rangers have improved as the half has went on and have got into some promising areas.
And while Levein's side have struggled to get out, they are yet to look seriously troubled defensively besides Raes' spillage that almost presented Danilo with the opener.
The Saints goalie spills a shot with Danilo closing in for a tap in on the rebound.
But in Rae's defence he atones for his error to get back up and smother the former FC Twente's shot at close quarters.
The hosts put together another smart move down the left, with Jefte once again teeing up Danilo.
The forward is returning from nearly eight months out with injury, which maybe explains his rash strike that fails to trouble keeper Rae.
Still goalless with just two minutes to go until we pass the 30 minute mark.
Andre Raymond is allowed to cut inside from 12 yards and get a shot towards goal.
The defender's effort deflects off John Souttar and causes a bit of panic until Rangers eventually clear their lines from the resultant corner.
The Brazlian isn't able to make clean contact and sees his effort from Jefte's cut back drift wide of the far post.
Fortunately for Danilo, the offside flag then goes up against countryman Jefte.
Moments later, Tavernier finds himself in a similar position outside the area but fails to get his shot on target.
Craig Levein will be keen to close down the Englishman at every opportunity, given his track record at scoring and assisting from distance.
Tom Lawrence misses Rangers' Premier Sports Cup tie against St Johnstone through illness, Philippe Clement has confirmed.
The Ibrox boss has revealed the midfielder was unavailable for selection due to sickness.
Leon Balogun and Scott Wright also miss the match due to muscle injuries - however Clement suggested it was precautionary with the knocks minor.
As previously admitted by Clement, Ridvan Yilmaz is set for a spell on the sidelines after an injury against Dynamo Kyiv, therefore he is not involved either.
On Rangers TV, Clement explained: “I had to make some changes. Tom Lawrence is sick.
“Then we have Leon Balogun and Scott Wright who have small muscle problems, nothing big but too dangerous to play with.
“Ridvan got the injury against Kyiv.”
Fears are growing that Rangers defender Ridvan Yilmaz could miss several months following their Champions League defeat to Dynamo Kyiv.
Manager Philip Clement is understood to have searched the market for potential cover if those concerns are confirmed in the coming days.
The Belgian boss allowed Borna Barisic to leave the club as part of a summer rebuild and recruited Brazilian Japhet, who was sent off against Kiev at Hampden, to give Yilmaz opportunities to compete.
In the last 10 games between the two teams, Rangers has become the executioner of St. Johnston, the Rangers team has taken the lead with 9 victories against only one victory for St. Johnston.
The last meeting between Rangers and St Johnstone took place in the Scottish Premiership on 18 February 2024.
It was a thrilling match at McDiarmid Park, and Rangers emerged victorious with a score of 3-0. Mohamed Diomande scored a stunning goal from outside the box, and James Tavernier converted two penalties to secure the victory.
The Scottish League Cup was played in the match between Greenock vs St. Johnstone. The match ended with a score of 2-0, in favour of St. Johnstone.
Rangers FC's last meeting was against Dynamo kyiv in the UEFA Champions League and the result was a victory for Dynamo kyiv, who won 2-0.
Hampden Park is located on Mount Florida in Glasgow, Scotland, the stadium has a capacity of 51,866 spectators, it is the stadium of the Scotland national football team. In addition, it was the home of Queen's Park Football Club for more than a century.
We'll be sharing the starting lineups for Rangers vs St. Johnstone live soon, as well as all the latest information from Hampden Park. Don't miss a single detail of VAVEL's live match updates and commentary.
If you want to watch Rangers vs St. Johnstone live, you can follow it live online, VAVEL is your best option.
Rangers FC is one of Scotland's most prominent teams and has performed well in recent seasons.
On the other hand, St. Johnstone is also a competitive team that will be looking to spring a surprise in this match.
