Glasgow Rangers will be aiming to retain the Scottish Cup as they face Raith Rovers in the quarter-finals of the competition on Sunday.

Michael Beale’s domestic record in charge of the Ibrox side reads; 17 matches, 15 wins, and only one defeat - in the League Cup final against their Old Firm rivals - and the Scottish Cup remains arguably the Gers’ most realistic chance of silverware this season.

Although not Premiership opposition, Raith defeated Motherwell in the previous round and it won't be an easy tie, with that in mind, however, Beale may look to make a few changes and give players who haven’t had much game time recently a runout.

Ianis Hagi could well be one, and the Englishman should unleash the 24-year-old in what would be his first start in over a year as he makes his way back to full-match fitness.

Should Ianis Hagi start against Raith Rovers?

Beale should start the magician as he is in desperate need of game time. The Romanian star suffered a serious knee injury in this competition in January 2022 against Stirling Albion which kept him out for a year and his presence has been sorely missed.

He made his first appearance since the injury against St Johnstone in January, while he has averaged a Sofascore rating of 6.85/10 across his three league matches so far, a solid enough return, especially when his average playing time is just 11 minutes.

The £21k-per-week gem – who was once dubbed an “absolute dream to work with” by ex-boss Steven Gerrard – actually made his first start since the injury against Patrick Thistle in the last round of the Scottish Cup. He only lasted 45 minutes, with GlasgowLive giving him a 5/10 rating, which seemed a bit harsh considering the circumstances.

Today against Raith represents a perfect chance for him to gain more minutes and if he can replicate his form from 2020/2021, then he could dominate the Championship side.

In that title-winning campaign, Hagi registered 18 goal contributions (seven goals and 11 assists) while creating six big chances and making one key pass per game, which shows that the maestro has the quality to destroy a lower league outfit at his best with his creative ability.

Beale may look to rotate his squad and with tougher ties to come in the weeks ahead, it could be perfect for the likes of Hagi, Leon King, and Ridvan Yilmaz to get some much-needed time on the pitch.

Therefore, the head coach must unleash the Romanian international to get his match fitness up heading into the final months of the campaign and the business end of the season.