Rangers duo Alfredo Morelos and Fashion Sakala likely to be rested v Lyon
Rangers duo Alfredo Morelos and Fashion Sakala could both be rested for the Europa League game against Lyon, according to The Scotsman.
The Bears travel to France on Thursday (9 December) for the final group fixture, having already earned a spot in the knockout stage.
Even if they beat Lyon, Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s side cannot win the group, so it is likely to present the Dutchman with an opportunity to rotate his squad.
The Scotsman suggest that “one of the first considerations” that van Bronckhorst will make will be regarding Morelos and Sakala, who have both picked up two yellow cards in the Europa League this season.
This means that they are just one booking away from an automatic one-match suspension, so the report suggests they are unlikely to be risked on Thursday.
Wise move
It would certainly seem a wise move from van Bronckhorst to leave Morelos and Sakala out of the team against Lyon.
He will of course want to put out a competitive side in France and try to get a result against a team who have not dropped a point in the Europa League this season.
However it is not worth the risk, particularly given Morelos’s reputation for picking up needless yellow cards; the Colombian averages a booking every 3.5 games in the Scottish Premiership this season.
In addition, it means that Kemar Roofe should be given the opportunity to stake a claim for a starting spot upfront, having been most used as a substitute and out wide so far in 2021-22.
The 28-year-old was an unused sub against Dundee on Saturday (4 December) having coming off the bench to score the winner from the penalty spot against Hibernian three days earlier.
In other Rangers news, Giovanni van Bronckhorst needs to give more game time to this youngster or risk losing him in January.