Connor Barron benched, two changes – Rangers predicted XI v Fenerbahce
Connor Barron could be dropped by Barry Ferguson as Rangers look to finish the job against Fenerbahce on Thursday.
The Gers head into the second leg of their Europa League last 16 tie with a 3-1 advantage over Jose Mourinho’s side, having seen Cyriel Dessers and Vaclav Cerny fire them to victory in Istanbul.
Rangers switched from their usual 4-2-3-1 formation to a new-look 3-4-2-1 at the Sukru Saracoglu Stadium last week, and it remains to be seen what approach Ferguson will take at Ibrox.
With a place in the Europa League quarter-finals on the line and the Light Blues already being two goals to the good on aggregate, Ferguson cannot afford to make the mistake of playing things safe at Ibrox.
Ferguson to drop duo ahead of Rangers v Fenerbahce
Rangers came away from Istanbul with a 3-1 aggregate lead, which arguably should have been more, by directly taking the game to Fenerbahce, and that’s exactly what they need to do to finish the job.
| Fenerbahce | Statistics | Rangers |
| 1 | Goals | 3 |
| 1.80 | xG | 1.82 |
| 7 | Shots on target | 6 |
| 64 per cent | Possession | 36 per cent |
| 11 | Corners | 3 |
While Mohamed Diomande and Nico Raskin were immense in the first leg, Connor Barron struggled slightly, and as a result, Rangers’ number eight is the most likely candidate to drop out of the side.
That’s the only non-enforced change Ferguson needs to make, with Robin Propper a doubt after coming off with concussion in the 29th minute of the first leg, but it won’t mean a change of defensive structure.
Hamza Igamane return vital for Rangers v Fenerbahce
Propper’s replacement at the back following his first-half withdrawal last week, Leon Balogun, barely put a foot wrong in Istanbul, and is surely a certainty to play from the off at Ibrox after his rock-solid display.
Ferguson could opt for Clinton Nsiala to the left of John Souttar and James Tavernier in his back three, but with the stakes high, he’ll likely go with the experience of Balogun over other options.
Barron dropping out of the midfield will likely see Diomande – the assister of Dessers’ opener – drop slightly deeper alongside Raskin with Jefte and Ridvan Yilmaz either side of them as wing-backs.
Cerny and Dessers’ displays in Istanbul make them undroppable for the second leg, but if Ferguson really wants to push the envelope and end the tie early on, they could be joined by a third man up front.
That man will be Hamza Igamane, arguably Rangers’ star player in Europe this term; he’s yet to fire under Ferguson, but Thursday’s tie at Ibrox is the perfect environment for the Moroccan to hit his straps again.