RANGERS boss Mark Warburton has been hit with a double injury blow ahead of Sunday’s Betfred Cup semi-final against Celtic after midfielders Niko Kranjcar and Jordan Rossiter were ruled out of the Hampden showdown.

The Gers face Brendan Rodgers’ side for the second time this season aiming to make amends for their 5-1 Premiership defeat at Parkhead last month and set up a final meeting with Aberdeen or Morton.

But Warburton will have to do without two of his key summer signings at the National Stadium as he looks for a repeat of the Scottish Cup semi-final victory last season.

Kranjcar faces up to six months out of action after sustaining a knee injury in training on Tuesday at Auchenhowie. The midfielder has been for a scan to assess the damage and is now braced for a lengthy spell on the sidelines.

The Croatian has made 15 appearances for Warburton’s side so far this season and has become a popular figure with the Ibrox crowd following his summer switch from New York Cosmos.

He scored his third goal for the club against Partick Thistle at Ibrox and was impressive in the win over Inverness Caley Thistle last Friday night. That could prove to be his final outing of the campaign, however, as the 32-year-old prepares for several months out of action.

The loss of Kranjcar is a considerable blow to Warburton ahead of the Celtic fixture on Sunday but also for the remainder of the season as Rangers look to continue their progression up the Premiership standings.

Warburton will also be without former Liverpool kid Rossiter for the semi-final at Hampden, while defender Danny Wilson is a major doubt with a quad strain.

Rossiter has not played since picking up a calf knock in the 1-1 draw with Kilmarnock in August but he returned to training last week ahead of the trip to the Caledonian Stadium.

Warburton had hoped the 19-year-old would be fit to make the squad to face Celtic but the midfielder has lost his fight to be fit for the Old Firm showdown after suffering another injury setback.