Philippe Clement says he'll mix it up against Queen's Park – but it won't be just the kids for Rangers as they look to keep their last realistic hope of domestic silverware alive.

Callum Davidson brings his Championship side to Ibrox looking to spring the upset of the round but they find a Rangers team starting to find their feet at last, and in serious need of a cup win with their fading Premiership hopes accelerating away from them. Clement says he won't give up on the league just yet – fans wouldn't stand for an open admission to the contrary even despite the 11-point gap to Celtic – but deep down, he'll know the Scottish Cup is his one real chance of winning a trophy this season.

He says he won't be prioritising the cup as far as his team selection goes, and also vowed to strike a mix of youth and experience to give his team the best possible chance of progress, while also being fair to give the rising stars a chance. And there's one painful memory from his time in France he's keen to avoid a repeat of.

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While in charge of Monaco in 2023, his side were humbled at the hands of second-tier Rodez despite being 2-0 up – eventually going out on penalties. And Clement said: “My memory of that match is I put too many young guys in to give them a chance. The experienced players in the team didn’t perform as they should have done to help the younger guys.

“On that day, the other team was 100 per cent efficient and had the day of their lives. So I know that cup games can always present something dangerous. You need to balance things really well. It happened to me once, so I don’t think of it as a warning for our game on Sunday.

“I had a lot of cup games that went a different way, both with Monaco and other teams. But it’s something that can happen every season in every league. We’re very ambitious for this game, and we fully respect Queen’s Park. We will have the same preparation that we had against Manchester United or Tottenham.

“I don’t say we won’t play younger players against Queen’s Park, because it’s part of the story that we need to give chances to young players to develop. If I don’t give them minutes, they can’t develop. It will be a mix, so they are surrounded by players with experience.”

Predicted Rangers XI

All that in mind, then? It stands to reason that January signing Rafael Fernandes will get his first start in Light Blue but who joins him in defence is up in the air. It seems likely to be Leon King if it isn't one of the regulars, with Leon Balogun on the injury list.

In goals, Mason Munn got the nod against Fraserburgh in the last round but Clement may just turn to Liam Kelly for this one if he does decide to swap out Jack Butland. Ridvan Yilmaz meanwhile hasn't had too many chances lately and could go in.

Bailey Rice could be a contender to start in midfield, but Connor Barron seems likely to return to the side and Mohamed Diomande could be the thread of consistency from Clement's usual selections. In front of that, it's a bit of a lottery – but it's certainly a chance to give some minutes to the returning Tom Lawrence, while Nedim Bajrami and Ross McCausland could also benefit from starts.

Leading the line? Hamza Igamane is due a rest and Danilo didn't even make the squad last weekend. Cyriel Dessers banged in a hattrick against Fraserburgh and may get another cup chance here.

Provisional Rangers squad

Goalkeepers

• Jack Butland

• Liam Kelly

• Mason Munn

Defenders

• Adam Devine

• Leon King

• Robin Propper

• Jefte

• Ridvan Yilmaz

• Clinton Nsiala

• James Tavernier

• John Souttar
  

• Rafael Fernandes

• Paul Nsio

Midfielders

• Connor Barron

• Nico Raskin

• Mohamed Diomande

• Tom Lawrence

• Nedim Bajrami

• Ianis Hagi

• Bailey Rice

• Findlay Curtis

Forwards

• Cyriel Dessers

• Hamza Igamane

• Ross McCausland

• Vaclav Cerny