Early team news: Robby McCrorie and Alfredo Morelos to play for Rangers v Celtic
Michael Beale has confirmed that Robby McCrorie will start in goal for Rangers against Celtic while Alfredo Morelos will feature in the squad.
The final Old Firm clash of the derby takes place at Ibrox this afternoon and with nothing to play for other than pride for the home side, Beale is looking forward to next season already.
And the boss has confirmed that usual third-choice goalkeeper McCrorie will start between the sticks for a second consecutive game while Morelos will be involved despite confirmation that he will leave the club in the summer.
“He will definitely be involved in the squad,” he said when speaking to Sky Sports (12 May). “There’s no issue in terms of me and Alfredo. We’ve been on the same page for quite a long time.
“We’ve had a long relationship spanning probably four, four-and-a-half years. There’s no issues whatsoever. When he plays well he gets praised and when he can do better it’s important that I’m honest in my feedback to him and all the players in the group.
“Robby will stay in goal this weekend,” he said. “He was excellent last week. He made two really big stops in the game, I thought he looked assured and confident.
“He wants to stake a claim for playing and he’s been injured for long spells this season. This is a good opportunity.”
Makes sense
The selection of McCrorie in goal is the only thing that makes sense for that position with nothing to play for this season apart from pride.
McCrorie played well against Aberdeen last week and the last time Rangers kept a clean sheet against Celtic was with him in goal back during the Covid pandemic.
As for Morelos, the idea of him playing for Rangers again is a bit bizarre considering we know he has no future at the club but we are short on options right now.
Ryan Kent, Malik Tillman, Antonio Colak and Kemar Roofe are all out injured for the game which means Morelos is the only natural striker option in the squad.
Fashion Sakala is still likely to get the nod and if everyone was fit then it wouldn’t be a shock to see El Buffalo ruled out entirely, but for now he’s in out of necessity more than anything else.
In other Rangers news, one player could be allowed to leave on loan this summer as Beale hones in on another new signing.