McInnes praises Clement but believes his side can 'upset' in form Rangers

Derek McInnes was full of praise for Philippe Clement and his in-form Rangers side but insists his team can cause an upset at Rugby Park on Wednesday.

The league leaders arrive in Ayrshire on the back of a ten-game winning run and with a two-point advantage at the top of the Premiership.

But they are returning to a ground where they lost in the opening game of the season and a team who have recorded two wins and a draw against Celtic already this campaign.

And while McInnes knows the current Rangers side are a different proposition to the one they played under former manager Michael Beale, he is hoping to use that as motivation.

Speaking on Tuesday, he said: “I think you have to tap into anything you can when you play a team like Rangers, they have obvious advantages over us.

“On that day (first day of the season) there was a bit of the unknown from us picking up a bit from Rangers’ pre-season games because it was their first competitive game.

“So there was a lot of new signings, but you’re going into the game only knowing a wee bit about what their style is and what the players were like.

“I think the biggest compliment I can give the current manager is that even with a lot of the players that played that day, I think there is a far more robustness about Rangers and there is a strength about them.

“There is certainly an added confidence now that winning gives you, and I think the performance that day was a wee bit unsure and a bit of uncertainty about the Rangers performance there is a certainty about them now and you know what you are going to get.

“We are expecting a tough game, but equally I expect Rangers to get a tough game from us if we can be anything like ourselves and it’s important that we are that team.

“We feel there is a performance in us that can upset Rangers, and get after Rangers and cause them problems. That’s really the performance I am looking for from my team and seeing where it takes us against a good side in good form.”