Jonny McFarlane raises ‘concern’ ahead of Rangers showdown with Celtic
Jonny McFarlane admits it is a “concern” that Rangers could be forced to start with a makeshift midfield for their showdown with Celtic.
With the Gers’ match against Ross County postponed on 27 December, the fitness of certain key players is unknown for the Old Firm clash.
John Lundstram, Nico Raskin, Ryan Jack, Tom Lawrence and Jose Cifuentes are all fitness doubts for the Celtic game on 30 December.
Philippe Clement will hope to have Lundstram and Jack back, but if not it could mean a holding-midfield two of Kieran Dowell and Dujon Sterling.
Speaking on The Rangers Review podcast [27 December, 8m 32s], Herald reporter McFarlane said: “You have to look at Rangers’ injury situation and say it’s not ideal.
“Playing a game tonight, given how down to the bare bones we are in the central midfield position, could have led to a situation where you’re heading into the game at Parkhead and are particularly worried about who is going to be fielded there.
“I’m not sure I’d be wanting to go into an Old Firm match at Parkhead with a Dowell-Sterling central midfield. They’ve both done very well, but you want a bit of experience in there. They’ve not played at Parkhead before and it’s an intimidating atmosphere.
“The midfield is a concern, but if you can get Jack or especially Lundstram back then it suddenly makes Rangers’ midfield look a lot stronger. And I do think Lundstram will probably make it.”
Timeframes unclear
Clement will speak to the press between now and the Celtic game, but the Belgian will understandably not want to give much away with regards to team selection.
Had the Ross County game gone ahead, we would have had a much better indication as to who will be available to face Celtic.
Sterling has done well since coming into the fold, as has Dowell, but starting both of those at Celtic Park is far from ideal.
It may well be that if Lundstram is 85-per-cent fit, say, he will take a painkilling injection to help him through the truly massive contest.
In an ideal world, Jack, Cifuentes, Raskin and even Lawrence would also bolster Clement’s options, but exactly how long each of them will be out of action is unclear.
In truth, it will not be until a couple of hours before kick-off against Celtic as the players arrive at the ground that we truly know who is and is not available. Let’s just hope this extra day of rest works to our advantage.
In other Rangers news, an ex-FIFA official has accused the Gers of being “lucky” after something that happened last week.