Rangers will go to Central Park, Cowdenbeath for a second time on Wednesday in an attempt to get their Scottish Cup fourth-round tie played.
Since the original fixture was frozen off, Steven Gerrard’s men have lost at home to Kilmarnock but bounced back on Sunday by winning 3-1 away to Livingston.
Meanwhile, their opponents have fallen behind Stirling Albion and Elgin to seventh in League Two following a 1-0 loss to Clyde at the weekend.
The winners will go to Kilmarnock a week on Saturday for a fifth-round tie.
| Game | Cowdenbeath vs Rangers |
| Date | Wednesday, January 30 |
| Time | 7:45pm GMT / 2:45pm ET |
TV Channel, Live Stream & How To Watch
In the United States (US), the game can be streamed via ESPN+.
Next Match
| US TV channel | Online stream |
|---|---|
| N/A | ESPN+ |
In the UK, the game will be shown on Premier Sports 1 and can be streamed via Premier Player.
| UK TV channel | Online stream |
|---|---|
| Premier Sports 1 | Premier Player |
Squads & Team News
| Position | Cowdenbeath squad |
|---|---|
| Goalkeepers | McGurn, Goodfellow |
| Defenders | Pyper, Marsh, Deas, Talbot, Swann, Mullen |
| Midfielders | Fraser, Fotheringham, Scott, Miller, Sneddon, Kay, Malcolm |
| Forwards | Cox, Buchanan, Renton, Sheerin, Muirhead, Allan, Henvey |
Cowdenbeath are set to have a fully-fit squad to pick from in midweek, with the exception being long-term absentee Ryan Connolly.
Possible Cowdenbeath starting XI: McGurn; Mullen, Pyper, Deas, Talbot; Buchanan, Fraser, Miller; Cox, Renton, Allan
| Position | Rangers squad |
|---|---|
| Goalkeepers | McGregor, Foderingham, Robby McCrorie |
| Defenders | Tavernier, Flanagan, Ross McCrorie, Katic, Bradley, Barisic, Worrall, McAuley |
| Midfielders | Jack, Halliday, Coulibaly, Arfield, Kelly, Grezda, Davis |
| Forwards | Candeias, Morelos, Lafferty, Middleton, Defoe |
Rangers boss Steven Gerrard has a familiar list of complaints to handle ahead of this encounter. Connor Goldson, Jamie Murphy, Graham Dorrans and Eros Grezda all remain sidelined.
If any rotation takes place, it is not expected to be widespread.
Possible Rangers starting XI: Foderingham; Tavernier, Katic, McAuley, Halliday; Arfield, Jack, McCrorie; Candeias, Morelos, Kent
Betting & Match Odds
Rangers are priced as 1/12 favourites to win this game by bet365 . Cowdenbeath are considered a 20/1 bet to win, while a draw is 10/1.
Match Preview
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Freezing weather conditions saw Rangers’ initial fixture with Cowdenbeath postponed nearly a fortnight ago, although the home side argued that their pitch was in a playable condition.
This time around, there should be no problems, despite overnight temperatures dipping below zero as the Glasgow giants have helped to fund pitch protection that will ensure the game goes ahead as planned.
The initial tie was due to be the Gers’ return to action after the winter break and promised to be an awkward affair at an unusual venue and on a difficult surface. Although these have not improved any, Steven Gerrard’s side are at least back into the swing of competitive football, albeit not as convincingly as the manager might have hoped.
A 2-1 loss to Kilmarnock damaged the club’s title hopes, although they did get back on track somewhat by beating Livingston 3-0 at the weekend.
Gerrard branded that display “ruthless” and he will be eager for more of the same on Wednesday against opponents who are to be found at the opposite end of Scottish football’s spectrum, struggling to stay in the playoff hunt in League Two.
Cowdenbeath suffered a 1-0 loss to Clyde on Saturday and have been in indifferent form of late.
If they were to even draw on Wednesday, it would go down as perhaps the greatest Scottish Cup shock of all time.
The prize that the teams are playing for is a trip to Kilmarnock on February 9, where Rangers would hope to exact revenge upon their hosts.
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