Glasgow Rangers will try to put their semi-final disappointment behind them when they return to Ibrox this weekend.
Graeme Murty’s chances of keeping the Rangers job beyond the summer appear to be in tatters, but he will be determined to try and leave the side in the best position possible for his successor. And unfortunately for the Gers, finishing second in the Scottish Premiership will be as good as it gets this season.
On paper, the home clash with Hearts on Sunday represents the easiest task on their list of remaining fixtures. But with the Gers looking well short of form and making the headlines for all the wrong reasons this week, Hearts will fancy their chances of adding to their misery.
After the semi-final, Murty may be wishing that he could make a statement by making wholesale changes. But with the battle for second set to go right down to the wire, he surely needs to stick with those most likely to get the team back on track – with perhaps a couple of notable changes.
In defence, Fabio Cardoso could come in to start as Bruno Alves continues to struggle. That will allow Ross McCrorie to move further forward into what appears to be his best position of holding midfield. Murty may decide to keep faith with Alves, but he is arguably putting himself under further pressure if he selects the veteran and Russell Martin this weekend as their partnership has simply not clicked.
Meanwhile, Josh Windass comes back into the starting lineup with Andy Halliday dropping out. Halliday’s inclusion and early replacement at Hampden Park attracted enough attention and McCrorie’s push forward should allow Murty to leave him on the bench or out of the squad altogether.
Daniel Candeias was another player unable to hide his anger at being replaced on Sunday. The winger has been prolific when it comes to assists, but Murty may be tempted to give Jason Cummings a start in the three playing off Alfredo Morelos. Cummings’ best performance for the Gers came in that sort of position, and time is running out for the Nottingham Forest-owned forward to prove that he should get a permanent move this summer.
But as Morelos continues to struggle, perhaps Murty will decide to keep faith with Candeias and consider giving Cummings a chance to start up front against the team that he would relish facing given his Hibs connections.
With that in mind, here is a look at the predicted lineup in full…
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