Rangers striker Jermain Defoe is likely to make a rare start on Sunday in a Scottish Cup third round clash against Cove Rangers.
Defoe has found playing time relatively difficult to come by this season.
The 38-year-old has largely stayed fit since recovering from a hamstring injury in September but has still only managed 501 minutes in Light Blue across all competitions.
The veteran, who missed out on the club’s Europa League squad, has only made 14 appearances, ten of which have come from the bench.
However, a fifth start of the campaign looks likely on Sunday evening.
Gary McAllister confirmed in the pre-match press conference on Friday that “there will be an opportunity for [fringe] players to get minutes” against League One promotion challengers Cove [RangersTV].
Jon McLaughlin and Jack Simpson are two players likely to benefit from the rotation and Defoe will be hoping to lead the line just as he did the last time the Gers faced lower-league opposition, in a League Cup clash against Falkirk in November.
The former England international scored in that tie and it would be a surprise if he wasn’t given another opportunity to showcase his enduring quality here.
Defoe has made it clear that he would like to stay on for another season [Scottish Sun] but with his current contract set to expire in the summer and difficult post-split fixtures to come, this could realistically be the final opportunity for him to start a match for Rangers.
Ahead of kick-off, check out our Predicted XI, here.
