Liam Kelly injury bombshell emerges ahead of Athletic Bilbao v Rangers
Rangers goalkeeper Liam Kelly may not be at 100 per cent amid a suspected arm injury, according to Dr Rajpal Brar.
The injury expert claims that while it can be the case, it’s not something to worry about as a lot of players at this stage of the season are not at peak fitness.
This comes after Keith Jackson reported that Kelly had an injury in his arm after the first leg against Athletic Bilbao.
However, that did not stop him from playing the full 90 minutes against Aberdeen.
Kelly not expected to miss the second leg against Athletic Bilbao
There certainly would have been concerns initially, as Kelly appears to have replaced Jack Butland as the number one until the end of the season.
He even made a heroic penalty save in the first leg, and that’s arguably justified his selection for the second leg as well.
Despite the concerns, he is not expected to miss the second leg in Spain.
| Stat | Rangers | Athletic Club |
| Possession (%) | 29 | 71 |
| Shots | 4 | 19 |
| Expected goals | 0.14 | 2.37 |
| Accurate passes | 142 | 477 |
Speaking about this situation, Dr Brar, a doctor in physical therapy and a sports scientist, exclusively told Ibrox News: “Difficult to say without more information on the injury specifics as all that’s mentioned is he had issues with his arm.
“The reality is the majority of players aren’t 100 per cent at this end of the season – everyone is playing through something and I reckon that’s likely the case with Kelly’s arm issue as well.
“That said, it should not cause any issues for him to start and even play the full 90 minutes.“
Rangers go into the second leg as underdogs
While Gers managed to avoid defeat in the first leg, playing with 10 men for most of it, they’re still the underdogs going into the second leg.
Bilbao have had an incredible defensive record this season and have been the fourth best team in Spain.
Ernesto Valverde has drilled his side well and they’re expected to cause Rangers problems in defence and attack.
One positive going into this game for the visitors, as Dr Brar pointed out, is that Kelly is expected to be in contention.