Rangers: Barry Ferguson shares new Leon Balogun admission ahead of Benfica showdown
Rangers manager Philippe Clement will axe one of Connor Goldson or John Souttar in favour of Leon Balogun for the Gers’ Europa League clash with Benfica, according to Barry Ferguson.
The Light Blues travel to Portugal on Thursday (7 March) for the first leg of their round of 16 tie as they look to get back to winning ways following their disappointing Premiership defeat against Motherwell at Ibrox.
Both Goldson and Souttar have been criticised for their “shaky” display against Stuart Kettlewell’s side and Ferguson believes Clement will likely drop one of the pair in favour of the returning Balogun following his injury.
Speaking on The Go Radio Football Show (4 March, 44:04) he said: “I was thinking that after the game on the way home that obviously they were a bit shaky defensively no doubt about it.
“Big Balogun has now had a few weeks since that bad bang on the face and I think we’ll probably see him come back into the team on Thursday night over at Benfica.”
Who will Philippe Clement start for Rangers for their Europa League clash with Benfica?
Both Goldson and Souttar were miles off of the pace for the Gers’ defeat at the hands of Motherwell, with a few moments of complete panic that put Clement’s side on the back foot as they looked to stretch their lead at the top of the table.
While Balogun hasn’t been perfect himself this season, he has offered a much more consistent presence in the Gers’ backline this season and seems to bring the best out of Goldson when deployed next to the Englishman.
Whether or not Clement will follow Ferguson’s advice and start the Nigerian after he was named on the bench for the defeat to Motherwell remains to be seen, but after a disappointing defeat, changes feel incredibly likely.
Hopefully, Rangers can get off to the perfect start in the European knockout stages to give themselves the best chance of booking their place in the quarter-finals ahead of the return leg at Ibrox.
In other Rangers news, Paul Ince has slammed Jack Butland’s hopes of winning an England call-up from Gareth Southgate for Euro 2024
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