Ridvan Yilmaz could be axed for Rangers Champions League qualifying clash v USG
Rangers could drop Ridvan Yilmaz after he struggled on his full debut in the SPFL against Kilmarnock on the weekend.
While Gers won the game 2-0, he was arguably one of the worst players on the side and was withdrawn in the second half for Borna Barisic.
He’s undoubtedly a talented player, but needs some time to adapt to his new surroundings and the Champions League clash against USG may be too big a game to risk him.
Rangers are already going into the tie as underdogs as they’re facing a two-goal deficit.
They have home advantage and that has bailed them out several times in the past so they will be counting on the capacity Ibrox crowd to get them over the line.
That said, we would be extremely surprised if Yilmaz will be starting ahead of the tried and tested and more experienced Barisic.
The Turkish defender lost 50 per cent of the duels he attempted and was caught out of position on a few occasions.
He also lost possession a staggering 15 times and boasted a mediocre pass accuracy of under 80 per cent – which should’ve been higher given how dominant Rangers were.
None of his crosses or long balls found their desired target either and it was all in all a forgettable game for the 21-year-old.
Van Bronckhorst cannot go into the USG game starting Yimaz and maybe, bringing him off the bench may be the better thing to do.
In other Rangers news, Celtic and the Gers are at loggerheads over a record-breaking SPFL midfielder and a bid for him has already been tabled.