Rangers could be allowed to keep Nigerian trio for Old Firm clash
Rangers are likely to be able to keep their Nigerian trio of Joe Aribo, Calvin Bassey, and Leon Balogun ahead of the Old Firm in January.
All three players are likely to be part of Nigeria’s African Cup of Nations squad, but the Super Eagles manager Gernot Rohr has confirmed that all three could be able to play against Celtic.
The match at Celtic Park is due to take place on January 2nd, and the FIFA deadline for AFCON players is December 27th.
However, it seems as if Nigeria might make an exception.
He said, via the Daily Record: “Somebody called me from Glasgow already. They have the derby Rangers v Celtic on January 2nd and asked if we can let the players play.
“We have a lot of problems to prepare the team, but I think we will have most of our players at least ten days before.”
Good news for the Gers.
It seems as if all three players should be available for the Old Firm, which you would think would be a big boost for the Bears.
Certainly, Aribo and Balogun are probably guaranteed starters, so to have them in such a huge game can only benefit Steven Gerrard’s side.
This is a positive update from Rohr, and it also appears as if the Gers have been proactive to ensure they aren’t hindered in any way for that match at Celtic Park.
It is great for the Gers to have so many internationals and for them to be playing in major international tournaments, but when this impacts the team, it can cause problems.
So, if this trio were to miss the Old Firm as well as all those other matches, that would be a big problem.
However, it appears as if that won’t be an issue, which is great news.
In other Rangers news, some fans are set to be denied access to Ibrox on Sunday.