Rangers will need a vast improvement in performance if they are to progress to the Scottish Cup final at the expense of Hearts on Sunday.

Philippe Clement's men have handed the title advantage over to Celtic after limp displays against Ross County and Dundee.

The Gorgie side will fancy their chances of compounding the misery on the Ibrox club but can Rangers put league disappointment behind them to book their place in the May showpiece?

Our writers select their starting XIs for the clash.

Chris Jack

Philippe Clement surprised many with the inclusion of Kemar Roofe from the start at Dens Park on Wednesday evening. It was an experiment that didn’t work and a low-key outing came to a premature end as Cyriel Dessers was called upon shortly after the break. The Nigerian will surely return to the starting line-up at Hampden.

This is a fixture that requires the big players to put in big performances. Many will focus on James Tavernier and Connor Goldson, and rightly so. John Lundstram should be joined by Dujon Sterling and is another who needs to raise his game after a barren recent run. The addition of Sterling will give Rangers more solidity in midfield and hopefully combat some of their defensive issues.

Ahead of them, all three players in behind Dessers need to be at it. Abdallah Sima carries the most threat of any of them, but Todd Cantwell and Fabio Silva haven’t delivered often enough. The patience from the fans is running out and Clement’s faith must be repaid.

READ MORE: Abdallah Sima addresses Rangers loan benefits and Ibrox future

Derek Clark

The players have let the manager, fans and themselves down in the previous two games. Dujon Sterling told of a lack of belief within the dressing room. With that in mind, Philippe Clement simply has to make changes in an attempt to rescue the season.

The league is gone barring a collapse from Celtic so the Scottish Cup is the most realistic chance of ending the campaign with silverware. Hearts are a step up from the challenges posed by Ross County and Dundee so the performance levels have to improve or a cup exit is almost inevitable.

With regards team selection, Leon Balogun has to replace Connor Goldson while the manager has a decision to make at left-back. With no Ridvan, Dujon Sterling has been preferred to Borna Barisic but, simply put, Rangers need Sterling in the engine room as it's a more pressing concern.

Barisic doesn't deserve to start so could Ben Davies fill in or should Clement look to the youth? It would be refreshing to see someone who will run through a brick wall for the club and Robbie Fraser would fit the bill. He isn't the captain of the B team for nothing and he represented Scotland Under 21s recently so it's not exactly throwing a kid into a pressurised environment. 

In midfield, with Mohamed Diomande back in contention, the Ivorian should start alongside Sterling with John Lundstram dropped to the bench.

In the forward areas, Kemar Roofe never contributed much when afforded a start against Dundee so Cyriel Dessers may get the nod to lead the line. Fabio Silva has been poor so should be dropped for Rabbi Matondo while Abdallah Sima keeps his place on the right. It's a forward line that boasts pace on the flanks which should trouble the Jambos.