Brian Rice aware of the challenge facing Hamilton at Rangers

Hamilton boss Brian Rice is preparing for the “daunting” task of taking on Rangers at Ibrox on Sunday.

Rice will be without a clutch of injured players for the match against Steven Gerrard’s Premiership leaders, who are unbeaten in 19 games in all competitions this season and drew 3-3 in Benfica in the Europa League on Thursday night.

The Lanarkshire outfit, who go into the encounter bottom of the table, shocked Rangers with a 1-0 win in Govan in March and Rice referenced the upset to illustrate the challenge his side face.

He said: “We need to try to do something nobody else has done and go and beat Rangers.

“It is a daunting task, it is a massive task but these challenges are ahead of us and that is what we are in football for.

“I watched the game against Benfica. I thought Rangers were superb, absolutely magnificent.

“What Steven said after the game was spot on. They didn’t start the game well but controlled large spells.

“But we were the last team to score in the league there, in March.

“But we are under no illusions and I don’t think anyone in the country will be under any illusions as to how difficult it will be for us.

“We are Hamilton Accies going to Rangers to try to get something out of the match.”

Captain Brian Easton could return to action for the first time since February after recovering from ankle surgery.

He said: “I have been itching to get back and it doesn’t matter who it is against. It is obviously a difficult place to go.

“But we have been there before, got results and they have had a really tough schedule and were away to Benfica on Thursday night.

“We are going there to do a job and try to get a result.

“It is too easy to say we are going to Celtic Park and Ibrox and get intimidated by that but there is definitely not a feeling of that around the camp just now, so we need to go there and do a job because we need to start to pick up points.”