Ramsdens Cup final preview

Raith Rovers and Rangers meet in the Ramsdens Cup final at Easter Road on Sunday, in front of a sell-out 20,000 crowd.

Neither club have previously been involved in a final in this competition, which began life as the Centenary Cup in 1990/91. Queen of the South are the current holders, having beaten Partick Thistle on penalties after a 1-1 draw at Livingston 12 months ago.

Road to the final: Raith Rovers beat Stirling Albion 2-1 at Stark’s Park in round one then defeated Fife rivals Dunfermline 2-0 at East End Park. Grant Murray’s men edged out Falkirk 1-0 at home in the last eight then saw off Annan 3-0 in the semi-final, also at Stark’s Park.

Rangers defeated Albion Rovers 4-0 at Livingston back in July and knocked out Berwick Rangers 2-0 at Ibrox in the second round. Ally McCoist’s men beat Queen of the South 3-0 at Palmerston in the quarter-finals then overcame Stenhousemuir 1-0 at Ochilview in the last four.

Current form: Rangers last month clinched the League 1 title and are unbeaten in 39 matches since losing 2-1 to Forfar in a League Cup tie at Station Park on August 3. Raith are seventh in the Championship after beating Alloa 1-0 at Recreation Park last weekend.

Raith Rovers boss Grant Murray: "We will have to be at our best but that’s the belief I’m trying to get into the players. They went to Dens Park in the Scottish Cup and got a great victory and went to Easter Road and scored three goals against a good Hibs team at that time.”

Rangers manager Ally McCoist: “A lot of people will see us as favourites in the final, which is fine. We have never won the tournament before and you want to win every tournament you enter. We have an opportunity to win a cup on Sunday and we are not treating that lightly.”

Past meetings: The teams have not met in a competitive game since April 1997 when Rangers won 6-0 in a Premier Division fixture at Stark’s Park. Raith Rovers have not beaten the Ibrox club since March 1970 when they won 2-1 at home in a Division One game.

Suspended: Rangers midfielder Arnold Peralta misses out after two bookings in earlier rounds.

Kick-off: 4.05pm

TV: Live on BBC ALBA

Referee: Kevin Clancy

Match Programme: £5 – available on the day or to order here