Barry Ferguson to axe defender – Rangers predicted XI v Hibernian
Barry Ferguson will be looking to sort his defensive mess as Rangers prepare to take on Hibernian on Saturday afternoon.
The Light Blues are unbeaten in two games, but have conceded two or more goals in their previous five Scottish Premiership fixtures.
Rangers did come out victorious against Dundee on Saturday (29 March), but it wasn’t until the 93rd minute that Cyriel Dessers scored the winner.
Leon Balogun could be axed by Ferguson
Ferguson won’t be happy with how the game was won against Dundee, but three points were gained, and there is no need to rock the boat too much.
Jack Butland has been inconsistent of late and made another mistake at Dens Park, but he is expected to keep his place between the sticks.
Dujon Sterling and John Souttar could be joined by Robin Propper in the back three, while Leon Balogun could face being axed after a poor display last time out.
The Nigerian won zero per cent of his tackles against Dundee [FotMob] while also losing five of his duels, in comparison to winning just two.
With that in mind, Ferguson may well feel the need to make a change at the back with Hibernian bound to cause more of a threat than Dundee.
| Balgoun v Dundee | |
| Tackles Won | 0% |
| Duels Won | 2 |
| Duels Lost | 5 |
Propper has made 24 Scottish Premiership appearances for the Gers this season and was an unused substitute, as he makes his return to fitness after suffering from an injury. Now, he could find himself back in the fold.
After scoring at the weekend, James Tavernier is expected to retain his place in the team alongside Connor Barron, Nico Raskin and Ridvan Yilmaz.
Barron found himself pulled at half-time on Saturday, being replaced with Bailey Rice sending him a clear warning that if his standard doesn’t improve in this game, he will be out.
Dessers still has more to give for Rangers
Mohamed Diomande contributed well to his side against Dundee, creating the most chances in the game and having the highest passing accuracy which should be enough to keep his place.
With Vaclav Cerny having to miss out through injury at the weekend, after an impressive international period away, Hamza Igamane and Dessers are likely to both retain their places too.
Dessers stole the headlines after scoring the winning goal in added time but given he had 12 shots, nine of which were on target, it certainly shouldn’t have taken him as long as it did to score.
Ferguson will be eager for the striker to up his numbers in the final period of the season.