Philippe Clement makes interesting Leon Balogun call as Rangers XI confirmed v FCSB
Philippe Clement has made a risky call in his Rangers starting XI to take on FCSB in the Europa League at Ibrox on Thursday (24 October).
While Robin Propper and John Souttar have been the trusted centre-back partnership so far, the former has been replaced by Leon Balogun as one of two changes to the Gers’ starting lineup.
The only other change from the shock 1-0 defeat to Kilmarnock on Sunday 20 October sees Mohamed Diomande make way for Nico Raskin in the middle of the park [X].
Of course, Balogun is an extremely experienced defender, one with almost 100 appearances for the club since arriving in 2020, but he has only made two starts in all competitions this season.
Propper and Souttar cannot be expected to play every single game this season, but throwing the Nigerian international into a game of such significance is a big risk at this point.
Philippe Clement trusts Leon Balogun with Rangers start v FCSB
The Light Blues have a chance to win their second Europa League match of the campaign, having beaten Malmo 2-0 before a disappointing 4-1 defeat to Lyon at Ibrox.
With the Scottish Premiership title drifting further and further out of reach, with Celtic and Aberdeen leading the race, European success could be how Clement raises hopes at Ibrox.
Starting Balogun could throw a spanner in the works, however, especially considering his injury record. He had to be replaced before half-time during the 6-0 win over Ross County in August.
While he played the last 27 minutes at Rugby Park at the weekend, those were his first minutes on the pitch since September, only playing the final 10 minutes of the Old Firm derby versus Celtic.
Propper will be ready on the bench in case anything happens, but Clement will be hoping for a smooth and comfortable win against the Romanian outfit.
In other Rangers news, Stevie Clifford has revealed what Danilo told him after the B team won recently.
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