Rangers could request to postpone Old Firm showdown v Celtic
Rangers may be able to request a postponement of their upcoming Old Firm clash with Celtic on 2 February, according to David Edgar.
Alfredo Morelos is already set to miss the Parkhead showdown after being called up to international duty by Colombia.
Joe Aribo could still be with the Nigeria squad if they progress in the Africa Cup of Nations while new signing James Sands is likely to be called up by the USA.
Edgar, whose Heart & Hand Podcast is an official media partner of the Gers, was asked whether the Old Firm could be postponed if those three players are on international duty.
He simply responded to say: “Yes.”
Kemar Roofe may also be called up by Jamaica.
Another postponement?
It made great sense for the SPFL to postpone the initial Old Firm derby that was supposed to take place earlier this month and instead, move it to a date where it could be postponed again.
Let’s face it, if we’re without Morelos, Aribo, Roofe and Sands, then our squad is going to be seriously depleted and requesting to postpone that game is totally fair.
Whether the SPFL see it the same way is another thing.
It is usually standard practice to be able to ask for games to be rescheduled when a certain number of players are called up to international duty.
It remains to be seen whether or not the COVID-19 pandemic has muddied the waters in any way and has made the SPFL more sceptical – especially based on the grounds that Premier League clubs have been requesting postponements within the last month or so.
In Scotland, the decision to extend the winter break was a controversial one but there shouldn’t be any controversy over pushing the Old Firm back another couple of weeks or so if the international call-ups get in the way.
In other Rangers news, the winner has been named in the Gers’ race to seal a major new signing before 31 January.