Kilmarnock are set to be understrength for the visit of Rangers on Wednesday night.
The two sides face off in the Premiership in a 7.45 pm kick-off at Rugby Park, and the hosts come into the game in strong form.
They’ve won their previous two league matches this month, scoring three goals in each game, before securing a Scottish Cup Fifth Round replay with a draw at Pittodrie at the weekend.
However, they will definitely be missing at least one key player for this one.
No.1 goalkeeper, Laurentiu Branescu, who is currently on loan from Juventus, is unavailable due to suspension, having been sent off in the 3-2 victory at Hearts a week ago.
The towering Romanian has played the vast majority of games this season but will need to be replaced by Slovenian, Jan Koprivec, who has made just four appearances since joining in September.
Furthermore, the hosts could also be without two former Gers.
According to an update provided by Alex Dyer, as seen on the Kilmarnock FC Twitter, Kirk Broadfoot is a doubt with a shoulder problem, while medical staff are waiting to see how Chris Burke reacts to training after he missed the weekend trip to Aberdeen. Stuart Findlay is in the same position.
As for the Gers, Steven Gerrard will be delighted to welcome Ryan Jack back into the fold, but will be sweating over Borna Barisic, who, on Tuesday, was rated 50-50 for the game.
Rugby Park has proved a tricky venue for the Gers in recent seasons, but three points are needed if they are to stay in touch with Celtic in the title race.
