RANGERS have responded well to losing their lead in the SPFL Premiership and now turn their attention back towards the Scottish Cup with this David v Goliath tie at Annan Athletic.
Storm clouds were gathering over Giovanni Van Bronckhorst after a 3-3 draw at Ross County and 3-0 loss to Celtic saw the Hoops take over at the top of the table.
But the Rangers boss has blown those clouds away with successive Ibrox victories over Hearts and Hibernian, smashing seven goals without reply in the process.
That revival has mainly been down to the return of Alfredo Morelos from international duty, with the Colombian bringing up one of my midweek bets as he scored for the third time in two matches.
But Morelos and other key men might be given a breather at Galabank as Van Bronckhorst shuffles his pack during a demanding run of fixtures.
Annan are the lowest-ranked side left in the Scottish Cup and it's a kind draw once more for Gers after taking on another League Two side, Stirling Albion, in the last round.
The Galabankies lost 2-0 at home to Stenhousemuir last time out but that was their first defeat in 11 games and they are on track for a play-off place.
Peter Murphy's side broke Clydebank hearts in the last round as they scored twice at the death to seal a 4-3 win in extra-time.
Now they are the ones looking to spring a shock but you suspect Rangers will need to have an off day for Annan to stand any chance of reaching the quarter-finals.
How the bookies view it
Annan Athletic are as big as 45/1 with William Hill to win inside 90 minutes and McBookie price them at 14/1 to qualify. Even the draw pays a whopping 12/1 at Quinnbet while Rangers' best price is 1/10 at SportNation for a win inside 90 minutes. That price drops to a minuscule 1/80 at McBookie for Gers to qualify.
Head to head
These sides last met in the League Cup six years ago and Annan put up a good account of themselves at Ibrox, losing just 2-0 (below). They also faced off four times when Rangers were in the bottom tier back in 2012/13 and the best the Galabankies could manage was a 0-0 draw at home. Rangers won the other three games that term.
Players to watch
Midfielder Tony Wallace has been a regular source of goals for Annan this season, netting 10 times. If Annan are to stun Rangers with a goal he might be their best bet at 9/2 with McBookie.
Youngster Alex Lowry announced himself as one to watch when he dazzled in the last round of the Cup against Stirling. The young winger should get another start here and might be worth a punt for another cup goal but I can't see a price for him yet, even at McBookie.
Anything else catch the eye?
A Rangers win to nil looks likely after shutting out both capital clubs in the last week. However, the odds aren't great at a best 8/13 with BoyleSports. So I'm combining it with the Premiership side to be winning at half-time and full-time, with the double paying 133/100 with the same firm.
It looks like being another windy and cold winter day and it might take Rangers time to warm to their task in spartan surroundings. That makes backing the second half for most goals a decent option at 19/20 with William Hill.
SBK are offering 11/10 on under 3.5 goals and that might be worth a shout, given Rangers could take their foot off the gas if they get a couple of goals in front.
This Scottish Cup match between Annan Athletic and Rangers will be played on Feb 12, 2022 and kick off at 17:30. Check below for our tipsters best Annan Athletic vs Rangers prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
