Betfred Cup: Rangers v Annan Athletic match preview

Mark Warburton has said he will ring the changes as he looks to build on the weekend Betfred Cup win at Motherwell against Annan Athletic on Tuesday.

The Rangers boss has expressed his reservations about the new format of the competition - which necessitates four games in nine days - as the Light Blues attempt to negotiate the group phase.

Warburton has said he would rather be able to make multiple substitutions during friendly matches as he looks to bring his reshaped squad up to full speed ahead of the league opener on August 6.  

Speaking after the 2-0 win at Fir Park, Warburton said: "The difference [in friendlies] is you can make eight or nine subs. I would rather have made more subs, got Clint Hill on, got Lee Hodson on, got various players on.

"If you have that pre-season friendly it gives you flexibility to make changes, because the boys aren't ready for 90 minutes."

Joey Barton is expected to make his debut from the bench on Tuesday night while fellow new signings Matt Gilks, Lee Hodson, Clint Hill, Josh Windass and Niko Kranjcar are all set to start.

"Joey (Barton) will be involved on Tuesday in some capacity, Lee Hodson will start the game and Matt Gilks and Clint Hill will also start," Warburton added. "We will try and give the squad the right amount of pitch time. If we can do that, pre-season will be worthwhile."

Harry Forrester could also feature at Ibrox as he looks to regain full fitness after suffering a fractured leg in last season's Challenge Cup final which ruled him out of Rangers' remaining fixtures.

However, he was part of the squad which enjoyed a pre-season trip to the United States and played an hour in Saturday's 2-0 win over Motherwell.

"It's been a long time since I kicked a ball," he said ahead of the group stage clash with Annan. "I managed to get half an hour out in Charleston but playing 60 minutes at the weekend was good for me. I feel like I am back up to speed.

"Having a pre-season was big for me. Last year when I came in I hadn't played for three or four months. I had a bit of catch-up to do.

"It felt like I was just catching up and then I got injured. But it's a fresh start for everybody, it's important we get through pre-season and the games give the opportunity for people to get minutes."

While Rangers were winning in Lanarkshire at the weekend, Annan were going down 2-1 in their Group F opener at Galabank.