RANGERS manager Mark Warburton has much to ponder as he fine tunes his preparations for the William Hill Scottish Cup final against Hibs at Hampden on May 21.

Here, Matthew Lindsay looks at five key issues the Englishman will have to address if his side is to win and record a unique domestic treble.

1 - WHO REPLACES DOM BALL?

THE absence of Ball will be keenly felt by Rangers in the final whoever takes his place in the side.

The centre half, on loan from Spurs, has done well since being converted into a holding midfielder in the second half of the season and has made a tangible difference to the team.

The Ibrox club’s defence looked decidedly suspect at times during the first half of the 2015/16 campaign and opposition strikers waltzed straight through the middle of it before scoring on more than one occasion.

However, the 20-year-old is suspended for the meeting with Hibs on May 21 after picking up a yellow card in the semi-final win over Celtic last month – a game he once again performed impressively in.

What does Warburton do in his absence? Does he give Andy Halliday, who has played much of his football there this term, the nod? Or does he go with one of the other players at his disposal? Or does he change his formation altogether?

Halliday has done well despite playing out of position in an unfamiliar berth, but he is far better utilised further forward in the side. Rangers are less reliable at the back with him in the team.

2 - DOES HE PICK KENNY MILLER OR MARTYN WAGHORN AT CENTRE-FORWARD?

WAGHORN made his return from a two and a half month injury lay-off when he started his side’s final Ladbrokes Championship match against St. Mirren in Paisley at the start of this month.

The striker, the Ibrox club’s top scorer this season with 28 goals to his name, is now in the frame for a place in the starting line-up, but would Warburton be better off picking Miller?

Miller, despite turning 36 this season, has scored eight times in 14 games since taking over from Waghorn in attack and has taken his own personal goal haul this term to a none-too-shabby 20.

Both men can play in the same line-up, but is Waghorn ready to lead the line in a cup final after so long on the sidelines?

3 - DOES HE RISK PLAYING HARRY FORRESTER?

THE Englishman missed the Scottish Cup semi-final against Celtic after suffering a hairline fracture of his leg in the Petrofac Training Cup final win over Peterhead.

The club declared the 25-year-old would “be out for a number of weeks” and there is speculation he will be brought back for the meeting with Hibs.

It would increase the Ibrox club’s chances of success if he was. The attacking midfielder has been bright since arriving at Ibrox earlier this year and has earned himself a contract until 2019 as a result.

Again, it would be a big risk pitching the ex-Brentford and Doncaster Rovers winger in to a cup final after such a serious injury and without any game time in over a month.

4 - DOES HE TURN TO SHIELS, LAW, ZELALEM OR CLARK?

THE majority of the Rangers team picks itself, but there are places up for grabs with Ball out and Michael O'Halloran and Billy King ineligible. So who does Warburton turn to? Nicky Clark, Nicky Law, Dean Shiels and Gedion Zelalem have all contributed to the Ibrox club’s success at different times in the 2015/16 campaign. Each man has his strengths.

Warburton placed his faith in Shiels in the Scottish Cup semi-final and the chances are he will do so once again. The Northern Irishman is experienced and versatile and won’t be overawed by the enormity of the occasion or the meeting with former club Hibs.

Warburton remains a huge admirer of Zelalem, though, this 19-year-old who has spent the season on loan from Arsenal. He was impressed with the way the United States Under-23 internationalist conducted himself after coming on in the Old Firm game.

Clark and Law both have much to contribute too. The former scored the winner against Kilmarnock in an earlier round of the competition. The latter hasn’t been a regular scorer this season, but has had a happy knack of popping up and netting important goals in the past.

5 – DOES HE CHANGE HIS TACTICS AND FORMATION?

GOING three weeks without a game before the cup final will present challenges for Rangers.

Whether it will give them an advantage over Hibs, who are involved in the Premiership play-offs, remains to be seen. They could well be fresher. At the same time, they could be rustier having not been involved in any competitive matches since the semi-final against Celtic on April 17.

So does Warburton get his team to play with their usual formation and their usual attacking style? Or does he tweak things slightly? Hibs have many dangerous players, not least John McGinn and Jason Cummings, who can inflict serious damage to his team if he doesn’t get it exactly right.

Alan Stubbs switched to a 3-5-2 line-up when his side played against Rangers at Easter Road last month and invited the visitors onto his team. It might not have been a meaningful game for the Glasgow club, but it helped Hibs win 3-2.