By Graham Falk

Copyright scotsman

Rangers will look to put aside their dismal league form this weekend and take a step closer to silverware as they welcome Hibs to Ibrox in the Premier Sports Cup quarter-final on Saturday. Russell Martin’s side enter the clash desperate for an upturn in performance after last weekend’s 2-0 home defeat to Hearts sealed their worst start to a league season since 1978, with many pundits predicting a another loss to Hibs could seal the head coach’s fate. Their visitors will be in no mood to hand out favours, though, with David Gray’s in-form Hibs side hoping to inflict further misery on their Glasgow rivals and secure their place in the last four of the competition. Unbeaten domestically, the Easter Road outfit enter the game on the back of an entertaining 3-3 home draw with Dundee United last weekend. Both sides have injury worries ahead of the game, with Rangers still without long-term injury victim Dujon Sterling, while Joe Rothwell, Lyall Cameron, Bailey Rice, and Kieran Dowell are all doubts for the clash. However, Nico Raskin returns to the squad after being frozen out recently due to internal disciplinary reasons. Hibs will be without captain Joe Newell, who is struggling with a groin injury. Ahead of the game, we look at who the Scottish FA has chosen as the match officials at Ibrox: The man in the middle for this weekend’s game will be Nick Walsh. He has officiated four Scottish Premiership games this season, handing out 21 yellow cards (5.25 per game), but no red cards. He awards an average of 29.50 fouls per game. He has yet to award a penalty in the games he has taken charge of. Across his career, Walsh has officiated 111 Scottish Premiership games, awarding 414 (3.73 average per game), 27 red cards (0.27 average per game), 24.11 average fouls per game, and 0.36 penalties per game. The last time Walsh refereed a Rangers or Hibs game came back in May, when he took charge of the side’s 2-2 draw on the final day of the 2024/25 Scottish Premiership season. Walsh will be assisted Frank Connor and Dougie Potter. On VAR duties it will be Andrew Dallas, and he will be assisted by David Dickinson. Sign up to The Scotsman’s daily football newsletter to get unrivalled Scottish football news and analysis – subscribe for free here.