Ibrox View: Four players dropped for EL showdown – Rangers predicted XI v Benfica
Rangers manager Steven Gerrard is predicted to make four changes to his starting line-up for the clash against Benfica in the Europa League on Thursday night.
The Scottish Premiership leaders head to Estadio da Luz mired in controversy after Jordan Jones and George Edmundson broke COVID-19 rules by having a house party in Glasgow at the weekend.
Neither player will be available to play in this match because they have not been selected in Gerrard’s Europa League squad and they have also been forced into self-isolation due to their idiotic antics.
Nikola Katic (injury) and Jermain Defoe (unavailable) are Rangers’ other absentees so Gerrard has plenty of players to choose from for the trip to Portugal.
He’s regularly chopped and changed his side between Scottish Premiership and Europa League matches but we’ve predicted that four changes will be made from the team that started in the 1-0 win at Kilmarnock on Sunday.
Leon Balogun, Steven Davis, Glen Kamara and Ianis Hagi could all return to the starting line-up with Filip Helander, Joe Aribo, Ryan Jack and Cedric Itten dropping out so they’re fresh for the home clash with Hamilton on Sunday.
Allan McGregor is likely to start in goals behind a back-four of James Tavernier, Connor Goldson, Balogun and Borna Barisic.
Davis and Kamara could return to the central midfield area to join Scott Arfield.
Ianis Hagi is expected to start on the right-wing with Ryan Kent on the left and Alfredo Morelos down the middle as Gerrard pins hope on him continuing his goalscoring form in European football.
In other Rangers news, Gerrard named his man of the match from the win over Kilmarnock.