Rangers quartet potential out of Old Firm game with int’l games
Giovanni van Bronckhorst could be without four of his Rangers stars for the Old Firm derby against Celtic on 2 February with international call-ups causing havoc.
There are World Cup qualifiers still to be played and they are scheduled to take place in late January-early February.
With the Old Firm derby taking place during that time, a number of key players could moss the game for both sides.
Most notably for Rangers, Alfredo Morelos has already received a call-up for the Colombian national side which effectively rules him out of the game.
Joe Aribo could still be away with Nigeria at the Africa Cup of Nations if they go all the way to the final and Kemar Roofe and James Sands will likely have qualifiers for Jamaica and the United States respectively in CONCACAF [Daily Record].
Far from ideal, but not insurmountable
Yes, losing Morelos and Aribo in particular for this game is the last thing van Bronckhorst or any Rangers fan wanted to hear.
And to then have their replacements in Roofe and Sands away as well is another kick in the teeth.
But it isn’t just the Gers who are suffering. Celtic will be without top scorer Kyogo Furuhashi and their three new signings as they all head off to play for Japan in the Asia qualifiers.
Cameron Carter-Vickers is another absentee from the Celtic side as he will team up with Sands for the USA.
So both teams will be affected by this and Rangers need to show how little it affects them.
If they can come out and take the game to Celtic from the first to the last second and win that game, not only does it put them further clear of their Glasgow rivals, but puts a statement of intent to the league that they won’t let adversity get the better of them.
Players such as Cedric Itten and maybe even Charlie McCann, who is yet to play for Rangers, might need to step up in the absence of other players but they have all the ability to do so.
In other Rangers news, this pundit has shared the details of Scott Brown’s trolling text after Aberdeen’s 1-1 draw with the Gers.