Nicolas Raskin and Ross McCausland axed – Confirmed Rangers XI v Benfica
Philippe Clement has made two changes to his Rangers starting lineup for their Europa League clash with Benfica on Thursday night.
Ross McCausland and Nicolas Raskin drop out of the side that started in the 2-1 defeat to Motherwell and are both named on the bench.
Tom Lawrence starts in midfield alongside John Lundstram and Mo Diomande, while Fabio Silva and Cyriel Dessers start in attack together for the first time with Dujon Sterling filling in out wide once again.
McCausland was an injury doubt after the weekend but was spotted by Sky Sports in training ahead of the game, but Clement has opted not to risk the Northern Ireland international from the start.
Rangers must not lose
Considering the huge injury issues that Clement has been dealing with since his arrival at Ibrox, this is arguably the best team he could have put out.
There is plenty of strength defensively on the pitch while the likes of James Tavernier have also been in excellent form in front of goal recently too.
But considering that there is a second leg to come at Ibrox, the most important thing for Rangers must simply be to still be in the tie when that game comes around.
Benfica have a phenomenal record at home in the Europa League, having gone unbeaten in 27 games up until now and with so many injuries a victory for the Gers will no doubt be difficult.
The team must enter every game with the idea of winning, but in-game management is crucial and a draw can’t be considered a bad thing either. This should be a fantastic game and Rangers are capable of getting a result.
In other Rangers news, international FA chief rages as “waste of time” Ibrox loan transfer.
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.