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Gio van Bronckhorst will be looking to lead Rangers into the semi-final of the Scottish Cup as the Ibrox side head into a quarter-final clash today.

The Gers won 3-0 against Annan Athletic in the previous round, with Filip Helander, Kemar Roofe and Fashion Sakala all getting themselves on the scoresheet in that match.

They now face Dundee FC away from home and come into the game off the back of a 3-0 win – thanks to goals from James Tavernier, Alfredo Morelos and Leon Balogun – in the Europa League.

How many changes will Gio make to the side? Here is our predicted XI…

McLaughlin, Tavernier, Goldson, Helander, Barisic, Sands, Jack, Ramsey, Diallo, Kent, Roofe (4-1-2-3)

We are predicting that he will make seven alterations to the team, with a number of players coming in for this cup clash.

Starting off between the sticks, Jon McLaughlin may replace Allan McGregor. The ex-Sunderland man kept a clean sheet in the last round and, therefore, deserves to keep his place as the cup goalkeeper.

At the back, we are predicting that Filip Helander and Borna Barisic will come in to make up the defence next to James Tavernier. Both players played against Annan Athletic and this match is a chance for them to get out on the pitch.

In midfield, van Bronckhorst could be forced into at least one change. John Lundstram is an injury doubt and we are predicting that Aaron Ramsey will replace him in the middle of the park. The Welshman’s only start for the club to date came in the last round of the competition and this is a big opportunity for him to get some minutes under his belt, with James Sands – who also played in that game – coming in for Glen Kamara.

Out wide on the right, Joe Aribo may drop out due to an injury and this would allow Amad Diallo to make his return on the wing. It would be a huge chance for him to showcase his quality and prove that he can make his loan from Manchester United a success before the end of the season.

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Finally, we are predicting that Alfredo Morelos will be given a rest. He has played nine times since the start of February and van Bronckhorst may axe him from the XI to give him a break, whilst offering a starting berth to Kemar Roofe.

Ex-Gers boss Steven Gerrard previously dubbed him a “Duracell bunny” and he recently came off the bench to score the winner against Aberdeen. He must step up and show that he can fill in for Morelos in the number nine position and help Rangers land a place in the final four of the competition. 

Tavernier, Goldson, Ryan Jack and Ryan Kent are the players we are tipping to remain in the side from the one that beat Red Star Belgrade on Thursday.

AND in other news, Cost £2.2m, now worth 145% more: Rangers struck gold on “consistent” £18k-p/w dynamo…

Global news agencies have struck a deal with Cricket Australia (CA), ending a week-long media rights dispute which affected coverage of the first Test between Australia and Sri Lanka in Brisbane.”The News Media Coalition has reached an agreement in its talks with Cricket Australia regarding news coverage during the current season,” a statement, issued by a coalition of media groups including Agence France-Presse, Reuters, Associated Press and Getty Images, said.The agencies had blacked out coverage of the first Test, after deciding to boycott the 2007-08 season in protest against new terms imposed by the Australian board.Coverage of the ongoing second Test at Hobart will begin with immediate effect.

Zimbabwe will play three warm-up one-dayers against a National Club League select side as preparations continue for the series against South Africa A and Bangladesh. The first of the three South Africa matches is on January 25 in Bulawayo, and the squad will be announced on January 23.Ray Price could yet be in the Select side. It is still not clear whether he will make himself available for selection after his appearance for Old Hararians last Saturday. Zimbabwe’s warm-ups started last week, with two teams drawn from their 30-man provisional World cup squad playing each other. National captain Prosper Utseya led one of the sides and the veteran Gary Brent the other.”These warm-up matches are basically to wash away the holiday hang-over and recondition these guys,” said national team manager Givemore Makoni. “We have picked players from the national squad, Zimbabwe A, the high-performance squad and a number of development sides, to take part in this session.”It was refreshing to see former Zimbabwean international all rounder Douglas Hondo, whose career had been put on hold owing to a nagging stress fracture of the back injury, taking to the pitch again.”Makoni was then asked whether Hondo, the strike-bowler, will travel to the West Indies for the World Cup which gets underway in March. “What we named was a provisional 30-man squad for the ICC’s administrative purposes,” he said. “What that means is that if a player proves himself on the field and convinces the selectors before the deadline of the 13th of next month, then we will give him a chance. This is not just for Hondo but for all the players currently playing competitive cricket.”

The Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) batsmen put their team in a strong position and gave them the possibility of victory, on the third day of the four-day, Group A, third-round Patron’s Trophy match against Khan Research Laboratories (KRL), here at the National Stadium on Saturday.After KRL had attained a big 120-run first innings lead over PIA, the Airliners ran up a solid score of 429 for 6 in their second innings yesterday. Faisal Iqbal, the captain, then applied closure, setting KRL a target of 310 and his own team a realistic chance of a win.Peshawar’s talented Yasir Hameed, who scored 57 runs in the final one-day international for Pakistan against England at Rawalpindi on Wednesday, had made his intentions known with an unbeaten 61 on Friday as the PIA second-wicket stand in the second innings was worth exactly 100 by the day’s close. Yasir lost his overnight partner Kamran Sajid (60) with only 16 runs added, but he continued piling up the runs with great credit. His knock of 139 was the 11th hundred of his first-class career, having come in five hours and 43 minutes’ batting off 231 deliveries with 20 fours.With Bazid Khan (20), his third-wicket stand was worth 64 runs. Another 81 runs were added for the fourth wicket with his youthful captain Faisal. The latter, who turns 24 on December 30, also reached his career’s 11th century. Faisal scored 114 runs off just 160 balls in three hours 19 minutes with 15 hits to the ropes and three above them. After Yasir’s departure, he was helped by all-rounder Jannisar Khan (26) in an invaluable partnership of 73 runs for the fifth wicket.With Asif Mujtaba, the veteran left-hander and the top-scorer of the first innings with 44 not out, unable to bat due to a fractured finger while fielding, Faisal decided to declare the PIA innings closed. KRL had made no runs in the only over bowled till the close of play.PIA, who shared the Patron’s Trophy title last season with Habib Bank as the final was rained off, drew their previous match in the ongoing competition against the same opponents, which turned out to be a tall-scoring affair. PIA have never won the Patron’s Trophy outright since it was introduced back in 1972-73. Habib Bank have been the winners a record seven times. KRL are currently lying at rock bottom in the five-team Group A points table. They started the tournament by being beaten in both their matches in the first two rounds. If they go on to win on Sunday, PIA will collect only six points though.
Set to chase a target of 325 runs to win the match, Sui Northern Gas Pipeline Limited(SNGPL) had lost three second innings wickets in reaching 118, by the close of play on the third day of their four-day, Group A, third-round Patron’s Trophy match against Habib Bank, here at the United Bank Limited (UBL) Sports Complex Ground No.1 on Saturday.Habib Bank, after having gained a big first innings lead of 125 runs, crashed to a second innings total of 199 all out yesterday. SNGPL though are still 207 runs short of a victory with seven wickets in hand. Imran Khalid, a 21-year-old slow left-arm bowler from Kasur who also plays for Faisalabad, again got among the wickets as he captured 4 for 63 for SNGPL to follow his first innings 5 for 72. He was ably assisted by another young man, Asad Ali, who took three wickets for 56 runs in 12 overs.Mahmood Malik, the fast bowler, also bowled well with figures of 2-19 in nine overs. Most Habib Bank batsmen just threw away their wickets but Younis Khan, the Pakistan vice-captain, and Humayun Farhat, the wicketkeeper, both got half-centuries. Their sixth-wicket stand was worth 79 runs after five wickets had fallen with just 89 on the board. Younis, after making 44 in the first innings, followed it up with a knock of 54 runs, off 108 balls with seven boundaries. Humayun’s 52 were made in his characteristic, bludgeoning manner. He faced only 48 deliveries and sent the ball to the ropes seven times.After the early loss of Mohammad Hafeez, the opener, SNGPL prospered through an innings of 34 off 52 balls with four fours by his partner Sohail Idrees. Youngster Sufyan Munir is still at the crease with an unbeaten 58, made off 90 deliveries with seven fours. As long as he and Misbah-ul-Haq, the captain, are at the crease, their team are in with a chance. Otherwise, Habib Bank should be able to win today (Sunday). Abdul Rehman, their left-arm spinner, with figures of 8-53 on Friday, has already completed 10 wickets in the match with two more yesterday.Habib Bank have been a record seven-time winners of the Patron’s Trophy Championship title, in addition to sharing the trophy with Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) last season after the final was rained off. SNGPL started this season’s tournament with a creditable draw against Pakistan Customs in the second round.
Riaz Afridi, Peshawar’s 20-year-old right-arm fast-medium bowler, returned first-class career-best figures of 7 for 78, as National Bank of Pakistan (NBP) were bowled out for a poor total of 161 runs, on the third day of their four-day, Group B, third-round Patron’s Trophy Cricket Championship match against Pakistan Telecommunication Company Limited (PTCL), at the Sheikhupura Stadium on Saturday.After the opening day’s play on Thursday was cancelled due to foggy conditions and poor light, NBP reached a modest score of 123 for six in the 34 overs possible on the second day. Four of their six wickets had already fallen to the young, talented Riaz Afridi. His partner Tahir Mughal picked up the three wickets at a personal cost of 67 runs in 22 overs. Riaz bowled 24.2 overs for his seven-wicket haul. The only player to bat with some conviction yesterday was Mansoor Amjad, the the teenaged allrounder,whose 44 runs at number seven came with five boundaries off 96 balls.In the 12 overs bowled by the NBP bowlers by the day’s close, PTCL had lost one wicket in making 26 runs. Their main intention on the final day today (Sunday) would surely be to take first innings lead and the three points on offer.PTCL are currently perched on top of the points table with a tally of 15 in Group B. National Bank, five-time winners of the competition, are at the second spot.
Adil Nisar, the captain, hit the highest score of his first-class career as the Water and Power Development Authority (WAPDA) compileda total of 446 for 5 declared, on the third day of their four-day, Group B, third-round Patron’s Trophy match against Service Industries, at the Iqbal Stadium on Saturday.Adil, the 27-year-old, left-hand batsman from Lahore, who began yesterday at his overnight 145 not out in WAPDA’s first innings 268 for 2, took his tally to an eventual 232, off 343 balls in eight minutes short of eight hours while hitting as many as 33 fours in addition to a six. By the close of play, Kashif Raza, the fast bowler from Sheikhupura, had captured all four Service Industries wickets to fall, at a personal cost of 45 runs in 14 overs.At 137 for four, with only one more day to go in the match, Service are still 160 runs short of averting the follow-on. In case they manage to hold on for a draw, WAPDA are sure to gain the three first innings lead points from this encounter. Adil, who now has three double-hundreds in his nine career centuries in 92 first-class matches, took his third-wicket stand with Aamer Sajjad from 142 to 194. Aamer hit seven fours and a six in his 81 runs, that came off 146 balls in a little over three hours. Bilal Khilji then hit a quick 39 runs off 38 deliveries with six boundaries, with Mohammad Irshad, Service’s opening bowler, finishing with three wickets for 127 runs.In the Service reply, Shahjahan Mirza, the opener and a newcomer on the scene, was still holding the fort with an unbeaten 42 with four fours at the draw of stumps. Faisal Khan meanwhile hit a worthy 61 with three fours and two sixes in two hours’ batting.WAPDA were the runners-up of the 2003-04 competition while Service Industries are currently placed at the bottom of the five-team Group B table.

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Jacob Oram: hopeful of playing in the Tests© Getty Images

After being cleared of a stress fracture, Jacob Oram, the New Zealand allrounder, is hopeful of being fit for the three Test series against Australia which begins in March. Oram has been diagnosed with a stress reaction and is receiving treatment for a bruised vertebrae which is likely to prevent him from bowling during the series. However, he could still play as a specialist batsman.”If I was asked to play as a specialist I’d love to but that won’t be easy because the middle order is fairly packed at the moment,” Oram told . “And if I did [play as a batsman], it would only be a short-term thing because ultimately I want to be an allrounder. It’s not really my call, but it is something I’m interested in.”Oram’s performance with the bat during the recently concluded two-Testseries against Australia should give him the edge over Craig McMillan andHamish Marshall, two other contenders for middle-order berths. Oram toppedthe Test batting averages in that series, and his magnificent 126 at theGabba was the only century for New Zealand.”Plenty of people are saying to me `give up the bowling, your body is not up to it’ but the reason I worked so hard on my bowling was to help my chances of getting in the side.”I played as a specialist batsman at Headingley [against England last year] and it felt like I only had one arm so being an allrounder is a nice thing to fall back on and something I would never let go of lightly. As for when I bowl again, I don’t know, I don’t think anybody does and we are not putting any deadline on it.”Aware of Oram’s importance to the side, New Zealand Cricket’s medical teamis chalking down a comprehensive recovery programme for him. Oram has not been given permission to run yet and is not expected to play club cricket for a fortnight.However, there better news for Daniel Vettori, who was given the all clearto return to action for Northern Districts this weekend after recovering from back injury

Although Ashish Nehra is definitively ruled out of the Test series against New Zealand, he should be back on his feet in time for the one-day triseries, said Andrew Leipus, the Indian team’s physiotherapist.When questioned about Nehra’s chances of playing the triseries, Leipus said: “That’s the goal at the moment – one day cricket. But not Test matches”.Nehra’s ankle injury has kept him out of competitive cricket ever since the World Cup earlier this year.

Y Venugopal Rao hit an unbeaten 74 to hold the Andhra Pradesh innings together in their Ranji Trophy league match against Karnataka at Kurnool on Monday.Winning the toss, Andhra Pradesh elected to bat but lost one opener early. There were, however, a string of significant scores all through the batting line-up. GN Srinivas made 39, and Fayaz Ahmed scored 48.At the close of play, Andhra Pradesh were 251/5, with Venugopal Rao batting on 74 and RVC Prasad not out on 2. For Karnataka, Dodda Ganesh was the best bowler, picking up two for 46.

To say Ross Taylor was not seeing the ball well in Brisbane would be an understatement – he was not seeing it at all.Taylor has revealed that he had to consult an eye specialist after the Gabba Test for treatment of a pterygium in his left eye – an overgrowth of the thin clear membrane on the surface of the eye. This would be no surprise to those who saw him look completely out of sorts in the first innings of the series, and not much better in the second.Having trained his hardest leading into the match, Taylor knew something else had to be wrong, and was relieved to find there was a medical solution. Duly cleansed by eye drops and a less intense preparation for the WACA, he went out and constructed the most prolific innings ever made by a visiting batsman in Australia.”I had to get my eyes tested in between,” Taylor said. “I couldn’t really see the ball so the eye drops obviously worked. I have a pterygium in my left eye and I do that a lot [open eyes]. The optometrist said when it’s dark you’ll probably do this a lot [opens eyes] and I told the boys and they lost it because that’s how they take the mickey out of me.”The eye issue was just one of numerous obstacles Taylor overcame in order to bat so brilliantly at the WACA, a performance that left the Australians in wonderment at his concentration and ability to efficiently take advantage of anything loose. Back in August, Taylor had suffered a serious blow to the testicles in Zimbabwe that required a trip home and surgery – he is still under doctor’s instructions not to get hit amidships for another two months, a difficult assignment when faced with a fired up Mitchell Starc.”Yes, for four months, try to not get hit – it’s an interesting thing to tell a player,” Taylor said of the testicular injury. “I think I’ve got about two months to go so I’m counting down. It’s good to be hitting balls again but there’s no discomfort. It’s a bit nerve wracking when 160kph is coming at you but once you get into the fight the adrenalin kicks in and the instincts take over and you just bat.”Just batting was something Taylor was unable to do for anything like as long as he needed to in the lead-up to this trip. A practice fixture in New Zealand the week before departure for Australia was the first time he had picked up a bat since the Zimbabwe tour, and in the days before the Gabba, he trained hard. Perhaps too hard.”I was out of the game for six weeks, I couldn’t do anything,” he said. “I was anxious, it’s a big tour and we put a lot of pressure on ourselves and I wanted to do well and was a bit underdone and all at sea.”I trained pretty hard leading in but sometimes when you try too hard you don’t get the results. Leading into this I let it all go to see where it took me.I’d put too much pressure on myself so I just relaxed, got on the balls of my feet and played straight. Chalk and cheese from where I was a week ago.”Set in Stone: Ross Taylor’s record-breaking score on the WACA scoreboard•Getty Images

There had been correspondence with Taylor’s longtime friend and mentor Martin Crowe also, a long email correspondence before this match and then the happy contrast of a short congratulatory text message this evening after the day’s play. Along the way to 290, Taylor had also surpassed Crowe’s 188 in Brisbane in 1985 as the highest Test score by a New Zealand batsman in Australia.”I heard from Hogan [Crowe] leading into the Test match,” Taylor said. “He sent me a long email. I heard a little bit from him before Brisbane. I got a text from him last night and he jokingly said he was disappointed because that was his proudest moment having the record here in Australia, 188, He was rapt – I received a text before and he’s very proud.”The other major player in Taylor’s story this week was Kane Williamson, the softly-spoken but quietly commanding young batsman who has led the way for New Zealand on this tour. Taylor looked on approvingly – if not comprehendingly – as Williamson showed Australia’s attack could be thwarted in Brisbane, and emulated him here.”Not only this series but the last 18-24 months every format of the game outstanding, consistent in way he prepares, his process is very meticulous,” Taylor said. “It’s great for the Australian public to see a world-class batter. You don’t often say that in New Zealand, good example for other batters.”Not a lot of words out there but know you’re going to have to work hard to get his wicket. He took a lot of pressure off me at start. For such a young man to achieve what he has achieved, it’s only the start.”Through an innings that occupied near enough to two days, Taylor witnessed numerous passages. The most thrilling was Starc’s second new-ball spell on the second afternoon, when Taylor got his bat behind a ball clocked at 160.4kph. The most amusing was his rollicking last-wicket stand with Trent Boult; it ended when it was Taylor who got out short of 300 rather than his nervous partner.”It’s not easy when you come out to bat after a partnership,” Taylor said of Brendon McCullum’s meeting with Starc. “Brendon had to wait a long time and Starc had his tail up. Fortunately we had a little bit of luck. It was very fast and hostile and both survived seven overs straight with the new ball in those conditions, it’s not easy. I’m sure that would have taken a lot out of him.”I was disappointed not to get 300, but if you’d said at the start of the day I would have been close, I would have taken it. I feel a bit happier that Boulty didn’t get out because he was so nervous out there, if he’d got out and I was close that could have broken him for a few years.”The final word on Taylor’s innings can go to Adam Voges, who watched a visitor show plenty of sense in how he handled the WACA, and grew in admiration for him with each passing hour. “I wish that nick carried early yesterday,” he said of an early Taylor edge. “I thought the innings he played was outstanding.”He pounced on any width that we gave him throughout the whole innings and I think he just grew into his innings wonderfully well. He didn’t really give us a sniff. I thought it was an exceptional innings. After we put on [almost] 560 in the first innings it actually gave them a bit of ascendancy back in the game. He batted really, really well.”Eyesight to the blind, and a record that will take some beating.

Andrew Musgrove has given his reaction to some positive Newcastle United news that has now emerged involving Ryan Fraser.

The Lowdown: POTM nominee

As shared by the official Twitter page of the St. James’ Park faithful, Fraser has now been nominated for the Player of the Month (POTM) award for February.

The Scotland international grabbed one goal and one assist in the four games played in the Premier League, helping his team pick up three wins and a draw (Transfermarkt) to lift them further away from the relegation spots in the table.

The Latest: Musgrove reacts

Taking to Twitter, The Chronicle journalist Musgrove has now given his reaction to the news of Fraser’s nomination, claiming that he has had a ‘fantastic turnaround’ in a Magpies shirt.

Before his goal and assist last month, the 28-year-old had managed just one assist in the top flight this season.

The Verdict: No looking back

After a disappointing start, Fraser will not want to look back, and the winger will hopefully kick on even further from now until the end of the campaign.

Eddie Howe has even been singing his praises, stating in his pre-game press conference ahead of their match at home to Brighton and Hove Albion on Saturday afternoon that he has played ‘very well’ under him and that he has ‘proved’ that he is a ‘good’ player.

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Nonetheless, with Allan Saint-Maximin still a doubt for the visit of the Seagulls, it is Fraser’s time to shine once more.

In other news, find out who was not in training alongside Saint-Maximin here!

Defending Carib Beer Challenge Trophy champions Trinidad and Tobago will take on Guyana in the opening game of the 2008 Carib Beer Series, set to begin on January 4 at Guaracara Park, Pointe-a-Pierre.T&T bowl off their campaign with the luxury of a home fixture, unlike in the previous season, and would look to utilise that advantage to the fullest before their away games against Leeward Islands, Windwards Islands and University of West Indies (UWI).Last season, T&T, who were the team to beat, fell short in their first game, losing away to Barbados by three wickets and immediately starting the tournament on the back foot.This season, T&T will travel to Carib Lumber Park, St Maarten to take on the Leeward Islands, before returning home to face newly-crowned KFC Cup champions Jamaica at the Queen’s Park Oval, Port of Spain from February 29 to March 3.Jamaica and T&T will get enough time to prepare for their clash as all the teams take a break for the 2008 Stanford 20/20 tournament, scheduled to take place between January 25 and February 25. T&T will have their last home game from April 25-28 against Barbados, also at the Queens Park Oval, while the Challenge final will take place from May 2-6 at a venue to be announced.