By George Overhill

21st May, 2022 | 1:51pm

Rangers confirmed cup final XI v Hearts: Amad Diallo starts while Ryan Jack and Glen Kamara are dropped

Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s confirmed Rangers starting XI for the Scottish Cup final against Hearts has been confirmed by the club.

Coming off the emotional penalty shoot-out defeat in the Europa League final on Wednesday night (18 May) the manager has made five changes for the game at Hampden Park.

He confirmed Borna Barisic was out in his pre-match press conference, and the Croatian is replaced by Leon Balogun at the back.

Elsewhere, Steven Davis and Scott Arfield come into midfield, cup keeper Jon McLaughlin starts in goal, and there is a surprise start for loanee Amad Diallo in attack.

Last chance

After seeing the league title head across Glasgow to Celtic Park, and then coming so close to European glory in Seville, lifting the cup is vital for the manager and his squad.

A number of the players who have been a part of this up-and-down season look set to depart during the summer, so this represents their final opportunity to mark their achievements with silverware.

The Gers haven’t lifted a domestic cup since 2011, and haven’t won the Scottish Cup since 2009, which even allowing for the fall from the top to the bottom of the pyramid is a terrible record.

At the end of a week that could have brought with it legendary status had they won the Europa League, the second final in three days will inevitably feel somewhat like a consolation prize.

But that is no excuse to take Hearts lightly, and a slip up at the national stadium would put the season that promised so much in a disastrous light.

They will have to lift themselves from their midweek disappointment, but the chance to end a long drought in cup competitions really should be enough to do that for.

In other Rangers news, Chris Sutton’s already got his pre-match jibe out of the way ahead of the final.