Nick Ware

Fri 5 February 2021 10:23, UK

Rangers travel to Hamilton Academical on Sunday in a fixture that brings great recent memories for the runaway Premiership leaders.

Steven Gerrard’s side thrashed Hamilton 8-0 at Ibrox on November 8 to record the biggest win under his reign so far and things have not got much better for the Accies.

Since that humiliation they have won just three times in the league and are four points adrift at the bottom.

It has been quite the opposite for the Gers as they have won 15 of their last 18 in all competitions and remain unbeaten in the Premiership, currently sitting 23 points clear of nearest challengers Celtic.

This looks like being one of the easiest fixtures remaining as they hurtle into the last phase of the season.

For that reason, and with some important games coming up this month including the Europa League knock-out ties with Royal Antwerp, we might see Gerrard rotate his pack and rest a few players from the starting line-up that he named for their 1-0 win over St Johnstone on Wednesday.

Filip Helander, Steven Davis and Ryan Jack could all be dropped from the side that won at Ibrox with Leon Balogun, Bongani Zungu and Glen Kamara all receiving starts instead.

Allan McGregor has started the previous 13 Premiership games and will almost certainly retain his place with James Tavernier, Connor Goldson and Borna Barisic also keeping their starting spots.

There could be one change in defence with Balogun getting a run-out after being benched for the last three games following Helander’s re-emergence in the starting XI.

Zungu has not started for Rangers since the 3-2 defeat to St Mirren in the League Cup on December 16 but he has come off the bench in eight of the ten games since and should have a straightforward time up against a confidence-stricken Hamilton side.

That should give Davis a much-needed rest with the 36-year-old having played ten games in-a-row while a similar decision should be taken with Jack who has started twice in a week after coming back from a long injury lay-off.

Kamara might be the beneficiary of this and start alongside Aribo in the Gers midfield.

Ianis Hagi was the matchwinner on Wednesday and should be handed the opportunity to build some momentum on the right hand side and stake his claim for a place in the Europa League games later this month.

Ryan Kent has been an ever-present in the Premiership this season and should keep up that record with new signing Scott Wright also waiting in the wings for his Rangers debut.

Alfredo Morelos will be unavailable once again as he serves the second game of his three-game suspension so it looks Roofe will start successive games for the first time in 2021 and he will hope to get back in the goals, if he is not banned retrospectively for his late challenge on Wednesday.

Cedric Itten will be itching for his first start of the year but we think he might be introduced after the break with the Gers hopefully in a comfortable position, while another striker Jermain Defoe was not in the midweek squad.

In other Rangers news, Kris Boyd has his say on latest Gers flashpoint.