Rangers manager Derek McInnes has challenged his injured players to get fit for the Premier Sports Cup final against Hibs on December 13, with several first-team stars expected to return by then.
The Ibrox side secured their place in the final after a narrow 1-0 win over Aberdeen on Saturday. McInnes hopes to be boosted by the return of four players for the Hampden showpiece, though long-term absentee Youssef Chermiti is not expected back.
Injury Updates and Return Timelines
Club captain Lawrence Shankland, Youssef Chermiti, Cammy Devlin, Daisuke Yokota and Ross McCrorie are currently sidelined. McInnes is optimistic about having all but Chermiti available for the final.
"Well it's certainly a good carrot for them to aim towards. Yokota should be back with us by the end of the month. Ross McCrorie will be back with us at the beginning of next week, maybe at the start of the international break, doing some training with us. So there's two that have a wee bit of optimism. Cammy and Lawrence will probably both look to be on pitch the first week of December. But there's still a bit to do, still a few hurdles to overcome," McInnes said.
"But I think if everything goes well for them, then there is an opportunity maybe to be available for that game. We just need to let them be for now and see where it is. But the fact it's a cup final, it doesn't do them any harm in terms of pushing them on."
Unbeaten Run and Team News
Confidence is high at Ibrox following the win over the Dons, which extended the club's unbeaten run to 11 games. McInnes will aim to make it 12 when they face St Mirren on Saturday night at 8pm.
"Badredine Bouanani has reported a wee bit of illness, but he'll be fine for the weekend. It's just a follow-on from the bug that's been going about a lot of clubs, and certainly we've had it. But he should be fine. He'll be in tomorrow again and hopefully train fully Friday," McInnes said.
"Manny Fernandez, his ankle was a bit of a mess after the game on Saturday. He'd twisted that, but he's due to train tomorrow and will be fine for the game on Saturday. And as for McCrorie. He's the closest one to getting back into the squad, but he's still a week, 10 days away."
Bouanani Impresses Ahead of St Mirren Clash
Bouanani was Rangers' standout performer in the cup semi-final, doing everything but score. The on-loan Stuttgart forward was a deadline day signing in early September, with reports in Germany claiming Rangers negotiated a £15.5million option to buy the 21-year-old.
McInnes played down the transfer speculation: "Oh, I don't know anything about that. I don't even know what the figure is to make that permanent. It was just a kind of last-minute loan deal that we were keen to push through. So, I don't really know the ins and outs of the deal."
"But certainly for now, we're enjoying working with Badredine. I think he's shown his quality. He's took a wee bit of time to get up to speed. But he's someone who I think when you get, particularly when you play against a team with a lower block, he's somebody that I think something's going to happen, whether it's the last pass, the last cross or the shot. And he's getting closer and closer to adding to his one goal at Dens Park."
Rangers have already faced St Mirren twice this season, winning 5-1 in their League Cup opener in August before needing a stoppage-time winner in the league three weeks later. McInnes expects another tough test.
"It's always a tough game against them. St Mirren have got different ways, different threats. They play with a lot of pace, they try to make the pitch big, they try to make the game about isolation in the final line. And they've been a good watch and good value, I think, this season," he said.
"St Mirren are a team who are capable, with the spaces allowed to them, they can hurt you. So the game needs our full attention. We need to try and get the job done and go into an international break with another three points to keep everything moving along."
