Preview: Dundee vs. Rangers - prediction, team news, lineups

Dundee will welcome defending league champions Rangers to Dens Park on Sunday for a quarter-final fixture in the Scottish Cup, with both teams hoping to progress into the final four.

Each club is having vastly different seasons when it comes to their campaigns in the Scottish Premiership, but this will provide a welcome distraction for each of them.

Match preview

© Reuters

Dundee find themselves bottom of the league right now, staring down a very difficult task in order to try and survive the drop, which is why a Scottish Cup game will likely be a welcomed distraction.

The fixture should allow the squad to play with slightly less pressure and a little more freedom, which has been the case in the previous two rounds, where they have not conceded a goal.

The Dark Blues defeated Dumbarton and Peterhead on their journey to the quarter-finals, and the confident displays are something that will have breathed some confidence into the squad.

However, they do head into this match on a five-match streak without a victory, which is a period that has seen them only score three goals.

Dundee fought until the end against St Mirren in their most recent outing, but ultimately fell short to a 93rd-minute goal from Connor Ronan, which they will now want to avenge.

© Reuters

Rangers are in contrasting form at the moment, thriving in both the league and Europe, and they head into this match on a 10-game undefeated streak in all competitions.

The Gers have kept three clean sheets in a row recently, showcasing their defensive qualities, but they have also had no problems going forward, as they showed on Thursday night.

Giovanni van Bronckhorst's men put three past Crvena Zvezda in the Europa League, with James Tavernier continuing his rich goalscoring form, while Alfredo Morelos and Leon Balogun added to things.

The result will continue to grow confidence in the Gers, who are continuing to chase down Celtic in the Scottish Premiership title race, sitting just three points behind them.

However, the focus on Sunday will be in the cup, which they last won in 2009, and considering they have not reached the final since 2016, it is something that Rangers will want to put right this season.

Team News

© Reuters

Dundee have been dealing with an in-house COVID-19 problem as of late which has had a negative impact on the squad, and even club manager Mark McGhee tested positive last week, having to watch the St Mirren game from home.

While Niall McGinn was able to return in that match, Ian Lawlor, Charlie Adam, Paul McGowan and Danny Mullen were all unavailable, and while they should be safe to return this weekend, that will depend on a negative test result, and their general fitness post-virus.

The Dark Blues were also without Lee Ashcroft for that match, as he suffered an injury within the warm-up, and that could lead to Zeno Rossi retaining his place in the team.

With Rangers having a lot of football to play at the moment, there is a good chance that Van Bronckhorst will use this opportunity to rest a few of his key players.

Jon McLaughlin will be given the nod to start in goal, as he has done in the previous rounds, while the likes of Steven Davis, Aaron Ramsey and James Sands could all be handed spots in the starting XI.

Dundee possible starting lineup:

Sharp; Kerr, Rossi, Sweeney, Marshall; McMullan, Anderson, McGhee, McGinn; McCowan; McDaid

Rangers possible starting lineup:

McLaughlin; Zukowski, Sands, Balogun, Barisic; Davis, Diallo; Wright, Ramsey, Sakala; Roofe

We say: Dundee 0-3 Rangers

This should be a routine game for Rangers, who will be hoping to push on in this competition at the weekend, even if they opt to rest a few first-team players.

While Dundee will put up a stern test in front of their home support, right now they are in poor form, and the focus is very much on league football.