Scottish League Cup holders Rangers will begin their title defense on Saturday with a second-round match against St Johnstone at Hampden Park.
Due to ongoing construction at Ibrox, Rangers are currently hosting their home games at Scotland's national stadium.
Rangers started their Scottish Premiership campaign with four points from their first two matches, but they were eliminated from the Champions League after a 3-1 aggregate loss to Dynamo Kiev in the third qualifying round.
Cyriel Dessers salvaged a 1-1 draw in the first leg with a stoppage-time equalizer, but Rangers suffered a 2-0 defeat in the return leg at Hampden Park on Tuesday. The game turned after summer signing Jefte was controversially sent off in the second half, and Dynamo Kiev capitalized by scoring two late goals in the final eight minutes, ending Rangers' Champions League aspirations for another year.
Philippe Clement expressed his frustration, calling Jefte's red card "the worst decision I have seen in more than 30 years of football." Despite his disappointment, the Belgian manager emphasized the importance of learning from the experience and moving forward.
Now, Rangers will drop into the less prestigious Europa League for the second consecutive season. However, before they focus on that competition, which begins next month, they must concentrate on regaining momentum in domestic play.
Having won last season's Scottish League Cup by defeating Aberdeen in the final, Rangers have consistently progressed from the second round in each of the past 10 years. They will be confident of their chances against St Johnstone, a team they have dominated in recent encounters, winning by a combined score of 10-0 in their last five meetings.
St Johnstone made it to the second round of the Scottish League Cup this season after finishing first in Group F with nine points from four games, having failed to advance past the group round the previous year.
The Saints knocked fourth-tier team East Fife 5-1 at home to guarantee their spot in the next round. However, they suffered their first league setback of the season, a 2-1 loss to Aberdeen in the Scottish Premiership, to bring them back to earth.
But on Sunday, Craig Levein's team triumphed 3-0 away from home against Kilmarnock in the Premier League thanks to goals from Adama Sidibeh in the first half and Benjamin Kimpioka's penalty kick in the second half.
Supporters of St Johnstone will undoubtedly remember their success in the Scottish Cup and League Cup in 2020–21, when they won the latter for the first time ever.
The Saints may find it difficult to advance far in this season's competition, though, as they face a Rangers team that they have only defeated twice in their previous 21 encounters across all competitions; the only victory came on penalties in the 2021 Scottish League Cup quarterfinals.
Rangers defender on the left With a thigh injury that required surgery in the middle of the week, Ridvan Yilmaz will now join Oscar Cortes (knee) and Nicolas Raskin (ankle) in the treatment area.
Yilmaz's anticipated absence might force Jefte to step in at left back, with a start going to one of Rabbi Matondo, Scott Wright, or recent addition Vaclav Cerny.
Liam Kelly, Leon King, Dujon Sterling, and Kieran Dowell are among the players who will be vying for a spot in the starting lineup after coming in as replacements over the week. Danilo will be aiming to start ahead of Dessers.
Regarding St Johnstone, defender Sam McClelland was carted off with a torn Achilles just over a week ago and will be out for an extended period of time due to his injury. Striker Uche Ikpeazu is still out with a groin strain.
