Rangers will be looking to continue their positive start under new boss Mark Warburton on Wednesday when they travel to Ayr United in the second round of the Scottish Challenge Cup.

The Gers thrashed Hibernian in the opening round of the competition, while Ayr saw off Albion Rovers.

Ayr United

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Ayr United booked their place in the second round of the Scottish Challenge Cup by earning a comfortable 3-1 triumph over Albion Rovers.

The Honest Men have reached the final of the competition twice before, but they have lost on both occasions. Their last final appearance was back in 1991.

Managed by former Rangers midfielder Ian McCall, Ayr have had a mixed start to the new Scottish League One season. One win and one defeat has left them in fifth place in the table, three points adrift of leaders Dunfermline.

They picked up their first league victory of the campaign on Saturday thanks to a 2-1 triumph over 10-man Brechin City.

Ayr head into their match with Rangers as underdogs, but they will be harbouring hopes of an upset in front of their own fans. While they have it all to do against a confident Gers side, they remain in with a shot of progressing.

Recent form: W
Recent form (all competitions): WDWWLW

Rangers

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Rangers have enjoyed an almost perfect start under Mark Warburton, winning four of the five matches that he has overseen.

The Glasgow giants have begun the new Scottish Championship season in positive fashion thanks to two victories from their opening two games of the campaign.

They secured back-to-back league triumphs on Saturday with a 5-1 hammering of Alloa Athletic at Recreation Park. Kenny Miller netted twice for the visitors, while James Tavernier, Martyn Waghorn and Jason Holt also scored to put the team at the top of the standings.

Warburton described his team's performance as "very pleasing" after the game.

Rangers' start to this season's Scottish Challenge Cup was an emphatic one as they thumped rivals Hibernian 6-2.

Having spent so long in the top tier of Scottish football, this trophy is one that the club has yet to get its hands on. However, they reached the final last year before losing to Raith Rovers.

Recent form: W
Recent form (all competitions): LLWWWW

Team News

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Mark Warburton could be tempted to rest a handful of key names for the match, with the likes of Nicky Clark, Dean Shiels and Nathan Oduwa all being given places in the starting lineup.

Ian McCall is likely to name a similar side to the one that beat Brechin City in the league last weekend, which means that Allan Trouten, Craig Moore and Alan Forrest may all start.

Ayr United possible starting lineup:
Fleming; Boyle, McLauchlan, Murphy, Devlin; Gilmour, Docherty, Crawford, Trouten; Moore, Forrest

Rangers possible starting lineup:
Foderingham; Tavernier, Kiernan, Wilson, Wallace; Oduwa, Holt, Halliday, Shiels; Miller, Clark

Head To Head

Rangers have dominated this fixture down the years, winning 54 out of 80 matches. Ayr have recorded 11 victories and there have also been 15 draws. The last time that the sides met was during the 2013-14 Scottish League One campaign, with the Gers taking maximum points from all four of their encounters. The last time that Ayr beat Rangers was back in 1976.

We say: Rangers 2-0 Ayr United

With Rangers full of confidence at the moment, it is difficult to look beyond anything other than a win for Mark Warburton's men. The Gers are scoring freely while remaining tight at the back, and they will be expected to dispatch of Ayr with minimal fuss.

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