Preview: Rangers vs Annan Athletic - prediction, team news, lineups

Rangers will get their Scottish FA Cup campaign underway on Friday night when they welcome Annan Athletic to Ibrox in the fourth round.

The Gers enter the competition at this round, while the Galabankies defeated Clyde FC and Buckie Thistle FC to reach this stage.

Match preview

Rangers endured a disastrous start to the 2025-26 season under Russell Martin, winning only five of their 17 matches, alongside six defeats and six draws, under the manager before his eventual dismissal in early October.

The Gers failed to experience an immediate improvement following Martin's dismissal, drawing 2-2 with Dundee United under interim Steven Smith, followed by a comprehensive 3-0 defeat to SK Brann in Danny Rohl's first game at the helm.

However, the German has gradually raised the level of his side since his appointment, especially in domestic competition, with Rohl suffering only two defeats in 15 games across the Scottish Premiership and Scottish League Cup.

One of those defeats was a devastating 3-1 loss to Celtic in the Scottish League Cup semi-final, while the other was a 2-1 loss to Scottish Premiership leaders Hearts in late December, but the Gers have responded superbly to the latter of their domestic defeats.

Rangers have subsequently embarked on a brilliant five-game winning streak, seeing the Gers climb into second in the table and only three points behind leaders Hearts, albeit the Jambos have a game in hand over Rohl's side.

Now aiming to maintain their form and put together a run in the Scottish FA Cup, Rangers will be full of confidence as they welcome lower-league Annan Athletic to their home ground.

Annan Athletic were relegated from Scottish League One last season, and the Galabankies have experienced a mixed first campaign back in League Two.

Willie Gibson's side sit seventh in the fourth division with 21 points from 18 games played, having recorded five wins, six draws and suffered seven defeats.

Despite their inconsistency in the league, Annan Athletic picked up their first win in the Scottish FA Cup since January 2022 in October 2025, defeating Clyde FC 3-2 in the second round.

Annan Athletic extended their run in the Scottish FA Cup by brilliantly beating Buckie Thistle 4-0 in the third round, booking their place in the fourth round, where they have been drawn to visit Ibrox and take on Rangers.

Annan Athletic are in strong form coming into this game, with two wins and one draw in their last three, but they are undeniably the underdogs against one of the giants of Scottish football.

Rangers form (all competitions):

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Annan Athletic Scottish Cup form:

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Annan Athletic form (all competitions):

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Team News

Rangers will be without the availability of Bailey Rice, Connor Barron, Derek Cornelius, Dujon Sterling and Nedim Bajrami for this match due to ongoing injury issues.

The Gers, given they come up against a Scottish League Two opposition, are likely to heavily rotate for this match, meaning the likes of Nasser Djiga, Rabbi Matondo, Kieran Dowell and several others could start.

Meanwhile, Aidan Smith is Annan Athletic's top scorer in Scottish League Two with five goals, and the forward could line up alongside Myles Gaffney and Charlie Maxwell in attack.

Elsewhere, a similar side that featured in their last game could also start here, especially as Annan Athletic's squad should be fully rested as they have not played since before the turn of the year.

Rangers possible starting lineup:

Kelly; Tavernier, Souttar, Djiga, Aarons; Raskin, Diomande; Matondo, Dowell, Moore; Chermiti

Annan Athletic possible starting lineup:

Clarke; Muir, Hooper, Watson, Kilsby; Gibson, Dixon, Todd; Maxwell, Gaffney, Smith

We say: Rangers 3-0 Annan Athletic

Rangers are undoubtedly the stronger team coming into this fixture, and even with a heavily rotated side likely to be named against Annan Athletic, the Gers should secure a comfortable victory.

For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.