Nico Raskin and Dujon Sterling axed by Philippe Clement – Predicted Rangers XI v Benfica
Philippe Clement could be set to make changes to his Rangers starting lineup for the Europa League clash with Benfica on Thursday night.
The Gers suffered only their second defeat under the Belgian’s management at the weekend, falling 2-1 to Motherwell while the Portuguese giants were thumped 5-0 by title rivals Porto.
But with a host of injuries piling up across the squad at Ibrox, the boss must find a solution for his starting lineup to still have an attacking threat while also being defensively solid enough that the tie isn’t dead by the time they return to Glasgow for the second leg.
Rangers to rely on experience where they can
Jack Butland has been phenomenal in goal this season since joining in the summer and is the undisputed number one, with the team likely to rely on his form to get a good result in Lisbon.
James Tavernier got on the scoresheet once again at the weekend and his form has been excellent in recent months, while Ridvan Yilmaz has now emerged as the first-choice left-back and is eligible to play in Europe for the first time this season.
Connor Goldson had a rough outing against Motherwell but his experience will be vital, and with Leon Balogun not included in the squad list John Souttar should get the nod once again ahead of youngster Leon King.
John Lundstram’s form in midfield is likely to earn him a new contract at Ibrox in the coming weeks, so it would be a surprise to see him drop out of the team for such a big game while Mohammed Diomande has emerged as an important figure also in recent weeks.
That will likely see Nicolas Raskin drop back to the bench after a poor showing saw him substituted against Motherwell, with Tom Lawrence likely to start in his place in a more advanced role.
Trouble in attack for Rangers
The attacking options that Philippe Clement has at his disposal are far more shallow however, with a host of injury problems.
Abdallah Sima, Todd Cantwell, Rabbi Matondo, Oscar Cortes, Danilo and Kieran Dowell are all injured and/or ineligible, which has seen Michael Beale signing Dujon Sterling often starting as part of the front three recently.
However Ross McCausland and Scott Wright present natural wide options to start and provide a threat on the counter attack and that seems the more likely option, with the experience of Cyriel Dessers more likely to get the nod as the number nine over loanee Fabio Silva.
In other Rangers news, Jeff Stelling slaughters Old Firm clubs live on air after what he saw.
For more Rangers news, follow us on Facebook or join our brand new WhatsApp Channel for instant updates to be sent straight to your phone.