Rangers: James Tavernier can breathe sigh of relief after new Daizen Maeda update at Parkhead
Rangers have enjoyed a frustrating week following their Old Firm derby draw with Celtic at Ibrox after their clash with Dundee was postponed once again.
The Light Blues would have liked to have won at Dens Park and moved back above their Glasgow rivals at the top of the Scottish Premiership ahead of their showdown with Ross County and the split on Sunday (14 April).
However, it is now more likely than not that Celtic will end the weekend top of the table having played one more game than Philippe Clement’s side, assuming they don’t slip up against St Mirren on Saturday (13 April).
That means the final Old Firm match of the campaign at Parkhead could potentially be title-defining this term and while most pundits agree it could go either way, the Gers may have just been handed an early boost ahead of the clash.
As quoted by Sky Sports (12 April) Brendan Rodgers said: “Daizen [Maeda] will miss the weekend. He picked up an injury high in his hamstring, his tendon, so we will have to see what that looks like in the coming weeks. But he is certainly not available for the weekend.
“We will see where it goes in the next week or so and then we will understand better what inclusion he will have between now and the end of the season.”
Rangers have the advantage over Celtic in the race for the Scottish Premiership
While Maeda could return in time to face the Gers at Parkhead, the Light Blues will undoubtedly be happy to hear that the Japanese international may be ruled out as he has been James Tavernier’s tormenter-in-chief.
The 26-year-old opened the scoring at Ibrox as he put the Gers captain under pressure early in the first half before causing him problems throughout the 90 minutes with his movement both off and on the ball.
In 13 games against Rangers in all competitions, Maeda has won eight matches, lost only twice, scoring two goals and laying on a further three assits. While it isn’t a ridiculous record, he always poses a major threat from the wing.
If the Japanese winger doesn’t make the cut for the final Premiership Old Firm clash of the season, Tavernier will certainly be breathing a sigh of relief. It doesn’t decide anything, but it would boost the Gers.
In other Rangers news, Chris Sutton has slammed Dundee and labelled Dens Park an “embarrassment” after recent developments
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