Nicky Clark has warned Dundee they will be playing right into Rangers’ hands if they go on the attack at Ibrox.
Gers host Paul Hartley’s men in Saturday’s William Hill Scottish Cup quarter-final.
Both Clark and his boss Mark Warburton expects the Dens Park side to start on the front foot as they target the kind of result St Johnstone managed back in October when Tommy Wright’s men raided Govan for a 3-1 League Cup win.
But frontman Clark would be happy to see the Dark Blues flood forward and leave the kind of spaces Rangers love to exploit.
He said: “I think they will have a go but on the other hand that might suit us a wee bit – it might help us play the way we like to play.
“In some games we play in our league a lot of teams sit in and make it difficult for us.
“If Dundee come out and have a go at us then it might suit us.”
But the former Queen of the South attacker is well aware of the threat Dundee pose with the likes of 20-goal frontman Kane Hemmings and fellow attackers Greg Stewart, Rory Loy and Gary Harkins.
He said: “We just watched a wee bit of them there after training and we know what they are capable of.
“They are a good team but we are looking forward to it.
“They’ll want to win the game and they have good players. Kane Hemmings has scored a lot of goals for them this season and boys like Greg Stewart and Rory Loy beside him as well.
“So they will be dangerous.
“We are happy the draw is at Ibrox, I’d say that, but I wouldn’t go as far to say we are favourites.
“As I’ve said we’ve watched them there and we know what they are capable of.
“They got a really good result the other night at Parkhead so we know what we are up against. The manager will make sure we are ready.”
While Dundee were able to rest former Ibrox youngster Kane in advance of their Ibrox date, The Ladbrokes Championship leaders will have to take on their top-flight opponents without their own chief marksman.
Martyn Waghorn – who has 28 goals this term – is currently sidelined with a knee injury but Clark is enjoying the pressure of having to fill the former Sunderland and Leicester striker’s shooting boots.
He netted the stoppage-time winner which knocked out Kilmarnock in the previous round and now hopes he can add to the six goals he has managed so far this term as he eyes an extension to his Light Blues contract, which expires this summer.
“It’s been unfortunate for Martyn, he’s done brilliant for us and you don’t like to see anybody getting injured,” said Clark, whose Rugby Park strike was voted the pick of the fifth round goals.
“It’s how football works sometimes, somebody gets an injury and somebody else gets a chance so hopefully I take it.
“As a football player I want to play every game possible but we have a great squad here, a lot of good forward players and if you get a chance to start then you have to take it..
“My contract is up at the end of the summer so it’s down to me to perform in the games between now and the end of the season and push for a new contract.
“I’ve not really thought about it that much though to be honest, I’ve just been concentrating on playing. I’ve been in the team a wee bit more regularly just now but maybe in the next few weeks I’ll maybe think about it a bit more.”