Dunfermline boss Jim McIntyre has admitted that Rangers’ dramatic defeat to Falkirk came at the worst time for the Pars.
The Light Blues crashed out of the Scottish Communities League Cup to the first division side on Wednesday night the 3-2 loss taking some of the gloss off their resounding win over Celtic in the SPL on Sunday.
But McIntyre is long enough in the tooth to know that Old Firm sides rarely lose two in a row and it’s something he has been warning his players about ahead of the SPL champions’ visit to East End Park at lunchtime on Saturday.
McIntyre said: ”I think Rangers will be really disappointed at going out of the cup, especially after the high of last Sunday’s result against Celtic.
“So that result probably did not come at the best time for us. They will be so determined to make up for that defeat.”
He added: ”What Falkirk did show was that they can be beaten and we will be out to produce another shock.
”We are under no illusions that Rangers are a good side and they showed that to everybody during the Old Firm game.
”What we need is for every one of our players to be playing at their full potential while one or two of theirs have an off day.”
McIntyre will stick by his attacking philosophy despite the Gers’ threat.
He said: ”We showed great mentality to come back against Hibs but really we should have had three points. We created great goalscoring opportunities and I am looking for more of that on Saturday.”
He added: ”You are always concerned when you are giving away cheap goals, as we are, but we are asking the players to play expansive football and maybe you leave yourself open at times.”
The Pars are still without injured players Craig Easton, Martin Hardie, Nicky Phinn, Steven Bell, Steven MacDougall and Kevin Rutkiewicz.
McIntyre had hoped that Hardie would make it, but said: ”He has not progressed how we would have liked him to and we will just have to wait and see how he gets on from here.”