RANGERS have what looks like a penalty kick to advance to the Scottish Cup semi-final on Sunday when Championship side Raith Rovers visit Ibrox
Michael Beale faced plenty of criticism for the line-up he picked in their League Cup Final defeat to Celtic where he left his two main winter signings Todd Cantwell and Nicolas Raskin on the bench and they have bounced back since then with a comfortable win against Kilmarnock and a thumping of Hibs in midweek where they could have scored double the eventual four goals they scored.
But they struggled in the last round against Partick Thistle after Beale attempted to rotate his squad and they ended up having to send on their big guns to see off the gutsy Jags.
Kirkcaldy's finest will provide a similar challenge, and like Thistle, will bring 2,600 fans with them to the scene of their greatest-ever triumph when they beat Celtic in the 1994 League Cup at Ibrox.
Former Rangers player Ian Murray had Raith on a great run until they came unstuck last week at Firhill – it was their first defeat in all competitions in 14 games so they are no mugs.
How the bookies view it
Rangers are huge favourites unsurprisingly and are anywhere between 1/12 with SBK and 1/20 with others.
Raith Rovers can be backed at 33/1 with BetVictor and they are 11/1 to get a draw with Paddy Power.
Recent head to heads
The teams were in the Championship together in 2015/16 and Rangers won three and drew the other game back then. Rovers' last win over Rangers was in a Scottish Cup tie at Ibrox in 2015 when Christian Nade scored the winner for the Fifers.
Players to watch
Antonio Colak is back in favour and has taken his chance with a double at Easter Road in midweek, The Croatian striker is 4/7 to net anytime with McBookie.com.
Former Hibs and Dundee United player Sam Stanton scored against Motherwell in the last round and is a real goal threat with six from midfield for the season. He's a massive 22/1 to score anytime with bet365.
Anything else catch the eye?
After the fright Thistle gave Rangers in the last round, it's inconceivable Beale will play anything but his strongest line-up here and they will want to put this to bed as early as they can.
However, you tend to find teams in the Championship don't tend to play with as much fear as clubs in the top flight and this Raith team will have a go and can contribute by scoring.
It points to a Rangers to win and both teams to score scenario, as in the last round, at 12/5 with Coral.
Rangers have got plenty goals in them and they might be able to take advantage of Rovers having a go here. If Thistle could score three against Raith last week, Rangers could reach four here at 5/4 with McBookie.com.
This Scottish Cup match between Rangers and Raith Rovers will be played on Mar 12, 2023 and kick off at 13:00. Check below for our tipsters best Rangers vs Raith Rovers prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
