Madjid Bougherra warns of 'catastrophe' for Rangers

AC Milan and Forfar Athletic rarely jostle each other in the same sentence, but the chasm between these clubs must be negotiated by Rangers if they are not to fall victim to what their Algerian defender, Madjid Bougherra, referred to as 'a catastrophe' – by which he meant defeat in Sunday's fifth round Homecoming Scottish Cup tie at Station Park.

• There will be a pitch inspection at the Angus venue on Saturday morning, but even if the surface is ruled playable, Bougherra is wary of the conditions in a week of inhospitable winter – Airdrie United’s home tie against Dunfermline has already been postponed because of an icebound park.
• “The pitch and the weather could have an effect because we are a football team and if the wind and the pitch are bad we might need to change how we play,” he said. “If the pitch is not so good and we can’t play our game we need to maybe play longer. It can be dangerous when you play a smaller team. I know what it is like for their players because I have been in their position. When you play a bigger team you have extra motivation.
• “Their stadium will be different and I think they will be playing at 200 per cent so if we lose our concentration we could lose the game. Cup games are very different, the mentality is different so we need to score quickly and if we can do that it will help to settle the game for us.”
• Rangers will be without Nacho Novo, who has a leg in plaster after being injured against Dundee United last week, but who may yet make the Old Firm league derby at Celtic Park on Sunday, Feb 15.
• Forfar, meanwhile, have asked their supporters to volunteer to help prepare the pitch for Saturday’s inspection, so that the match can go ahead in front of a capacity crowd and Sunday TV audience, the revenue from all of which will leave the Loons in a healthy financial state.
• While Forfar, under the rambunctious Dick Campbell, could be troublesome to Rangers at home, it is virtually impossible to conjecture any real resistance by the amateurs of Queen’s Park, who visit Celtic on Saturday afternoon.
• The champions have allowed Shunsuke Nakamura to travel early to join Japan before his country’s World Cup qualifier against Australia, in order to mitigate the effects of the round trip prior to the meeting with Rangers.
• Aberdeen would look similar bankers at home to East Fife were it not for the searing memory of their dismissal by Queen of the South in last season’s semi-finals and the awkward job they made of tackling Alloa Athletic in the previous round of the current tournament.
• Moreover, the north-east of Scotland was treated to the sort of blizzard conditions that paralysed the south of England earlier in the week.
• “We only had eight first-team players and four of the youths in at training on Wednesday because the rest were snowed in,” said the Aberdeen manager, Jimmy Calderwood. “We had a good session earlier in the week and the thing that works in our favour for this tie is that we are at home, where we are unbeaten in seven matches.
• “However, we’ve had a good look at East Fife and they’ve impressed us. They also have some wise old heads there, like Stevie Crawford.”
• Perhaps the most intriguing tie is at New Douglas Park, where Hamilton Accies – who beat Hearts at home in the league last week – entertain Dundee United, the first team to fall to the newly-promoted side, all the way back on the opening day of the season in August.
• The United manager, Craig Levein, is appropriately wary, but is also in the happy position of having choices to make for important positions. He is likely to restore his captain, Lee Wilkie, at the expense of Darren Dods, but he has more of a dilemma about Paul Dixon and Danny Grainger, both of whom could fill the left-back position.
• “I have to get it right, because this is going to be a very difficult tie,” said Levein. “Hamilton are going very well just now and I think they have hardly lost a goal since the turn of the year that tells you how well they’ve been doing.”
• There is what looks like another closely fought fixture at nearby Fir Park, where Motherwell are at home to St Mirren. The Saints manager, Gus McPherson, had hoped to be able to field the former Republic of Ireland left-back, Ian Harte, but the player pulled out of a medical scheduled for Friday.
• “I haven’t spoken to him about his decision, but I’m being led to believe he has changed his mind,” said McPherson. “I don’t know why – only he knows why. The last I heard from him he was still thinking about the move.”
• For Motherwell fans, Cillian Sheridan will be a particular focus of attention, now that the Celtic man has joined on loan and Chris Porter has moved on.
• Inverness Caley Thistle showed signs of responding to the new management team of Terry Butcher and Maurice Malpas when they held Celtic to a goalless draw at home on Sunday and they hope to improve on that performance against Kilmarnock. The Ayrshire side, though, seem to thrive on the road.
• “It might be better for us not to be at Rugby Park,” said Jim Jefferies, the Kilmarnock manager. “We’ve lost eight of our last 10 games there, but we’re unbeaten in five away.”
• The Cup card is completed by Hearts v Falkirk at Tynecastle, another game that could well require a replay to separate the contenders. Janos Balogh has now been declared undisputed first choice Hearts goalkeeper, after his seemingly endless transfer from Debrecen was finally concluded just ahead of Monday’s deadline.
• Hearts, though, are still adjusting to life without Christophe Berra in defence.
• John Hughes, the Falkirk manager, said: “What club can say no to the sort of offer Hearts got for Christophe? All the same, we’ll do our best to take advantage of the fact that he’s gone.”