Rangers predicted XI v Celtic – John Lundstram dropped after Motherwell nightmare, Scott Arfield to start
Rangers host Celtic in what is shaping up to be a crucial match in deciding which end of Glasgow the Scottish Premiership ends up in come the end of April.
The Gers are coming off a comfortable 3-0 win over Motherwell, however, we do expect Michael Beale to make a couple of changes to his starting eleven. John Lundstram was pulled off after 66 minutes in the Light Blues’ last fixture after struggling in the centre of midfield.
Beale could look to make a change in that area, with Glen Kamara coming in to replace the 28-year-old after he came off the bench in the win over Motherwell. Another change which is likely to happen is Alex Lowry being withdrawn from the starting eleven.
The youngster is in the early stages of his career and will be slowly introduced into more high-octane games in the coming years, but considering the significance of this Old Firm clash, Beale is far more likely to go with a more experienced head.
Scott Arfield was an unused substitute against Motherwell, and there’s a good chance the Rangers boss was saving the goalscoring midfielder for the clash against The Hoops at Ibrox. Arfield has been in fine goalscoring form in the 2022/23 season and would add another dynamic to the Gers’ attack. Another selection headache has emerged up front after Alfredo Morelos was forced off injured against Motherwell.
Beale revealed (Scottish Sun, 28 December) the Colombian was suffering from tightness and that he hopes he will be fit for the fixture against Celtic. Kemar Roofe and Antonio Colak are back in training and could potentially share minutes against The Hoops if Morelos isn’t available.
We expect Beale to name an unchanged back four, with Ben Davies and Borna Barisic impressing in the 3-0 win over Motherwell. A win is a must for the Gers to close the gap at the top of the table to six points and heap the pressure on Ange Postecoglou’s side.
In other Rangers news, Andy Walker was full of praise for what he has seen from an “impressive” figure at Ibrox.