Rangers Prepare for Premier Sports Cup Clash Against Alloa Athletic

Rangers Prepare for Premier Sports Cup Clash Against Alloa Athletic

Rangers Prepare for Premier Sports Cup Clash Against Alloa Athletic

Premier Sports Cup: Rangers vs Alloa Athletic

Venue: Ibrox Stadium, Glasgow Date: Saturday, 16 August Kick-off: 17:45 BST

Coverage: Listen on BBC Radio Scotland Extra & Sounds, with live text commentary available on the BBC Sport website and app.

Cyriel Dessers' injury is "not as bad as everyone feared," according to Rangers manager Russell Martin, who indicated that the forward could return in time for next week's Champions League play-off against Club Brugge.

Despite losing 2-1 to Viktoria Plzen, Rangers advanced in the third qualifying round with a 4-2 aggregate victory. Dessers left the match in the second half due to injury.

The 30-year-old Nigerian striker will miss the Premier Sports Cup match against Alloa Athletic on Saturday, but teammates Thelo Aasgard and Mikey Moore may make their debuts, and Hamza Igamane is expected to return.

Rangers will host Club Brugge for the first leg of the Champions League play-off on Tuesday. Martin expressed optimism about Dessers' recovery, stating, "Tomorrow will be too early, but we’re really hopeful he can be involved on Tuesday."

He added, "Everyone feared the worst when he went off, but it was a minor issue, not as serious as it could have been. He’s still a bit stiff and sore, but everyone is working hard to ensure he has every chance to be fit for Tuesday."

Martin Comments on Jefte's Future

Martin refrained from discussing the future of left-back Jefte amid rumors linking the Brazilian to a move to Palmeiras in Brazil, as well as speculation surrounding Real Betis defender Nobel Mendy potentially joining Rangers.

"He’s in this morning," Martin said regarding Jefte.

Rangers have yet to secure a domestic victory this season, having drawn their first two Scottish Premiership matches against Motherwell and Dundee. Martin's recent loss to Plzen marked his first defeat as Rangers manager, although he has achieved home victories over both Plzen and Panathinaikos, as well as a draw away against the latter.

Last season, under former manager Philippe Clement, Rangers were eliminated from the Scottish Cup by lower league side Queen’s Park at Ibrox. Alloa Athletic, currently one tier below Queen’s Park in League 1, has won six out of seven matches this season.

Martin commented on the previous season’s results, saying, "It’s completely gone; some of them were probably part of that. I don’t see any benefit in bringing it up. We focus on this game and aim to improve from Tuesday."

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