Rangers early team news v Bilbao – Ferguson ready to make ‘difficult’ decision
Barry Ferguson has addressed the press ahead of Rangers’ Europa League clash with Bilbao, providing an update on his squad.
Rangers have nothing left to play for outside of the Europa League, meaning they will have their full focus on securing victory against Bilbao on Thursday night.
Ferguson has done a good job since taking over, but he faces the toughest task yet, and a failure to progress would leave somewhat of a stain on his tenure at Ibrox.
Rangers are certainly not the favourites to go all the way in the Europa League, though a win against the La Liga outfit would do plenty to increase those chances, with Ferguson providing an update on the squad he will have available for the clash.
Ferguson has a big task at hand at Rangers
Rangers will already be without John Souttar and Mohamed Diomande for the Europa League tie, after the duo received a suspension for receiving their third yellow card in their previous encounter with Fenerbahce.
Jack Butland is another whose position may be under threat for the game, after his dismal display in Rangers’ recent defeat to Hibernian, though Ferguson remained tight-lipped on that situation.
| Opponent | Result |
| Hibernian (H) | 0-2 L |
| Celtic (A) | 2-3 W |
| Dundee (A) | 3-4 W |
| Hibernian (H) | 0-2 L |
Ferguson emphasised the need for his team to find consistency moving forward, while confirming that there “will be some changes” that he makes to win the game.
Speaking to the press, via the Rangers X account, he said: “There will be some changes – you will need to wait and see tomorrow night. There are places up for grabs, you have to earn the right. There are some difficult decisions, and I am not afraid to make them, I have the eleven I think I can win tomorrow night.”
After the disappointment at Ibrox at the weekend, it seems like Ferguson is ready to make some big calls in a bid to see his team progress to the semi finals.
Rangers must improve from Hibernian showing
If Rangers replicate the display from the one against Hibernian, they can kiss goodbye to any hopes of progressing through to the semi-finals.
However, if they can return to the form that has brought them to this stage in the Europa League, they have every chance of overcoming the Spanish giants.
The Light Blues have plenty of players who can inflict damage on Bilbao, while having several players who have been prone to errors recently, though the latter needs to be avoided.