Barry Ferguson makes baffling Youssef Chermiti prediction for Rangers vs Ferencvaros
Barry Ferguson has confusingly placed some faith in Youssef Chermiti ahead of Rangers’ Europa League match away to Ferencvaros.
Rangers beat Kilmarnock 3-0 on Saturday, with Danny Rohl’s side finally showing a clinical side to their game at Rugby Park.
Bojan Miovski scored a delightful brace on either side of half-time before Mikey Moore added some gloss to the scoreline.
However, one man who is clearly out of form is Chermiti, with the 21-year-old only finding the back of the net once in a Rangers shirt so far.
Regardless of his woes in front of goal, Ferguson has tipped the Portuguese striker to start over Miovski against Ferencvaros on 11 December.
Barry Ferguson backs Youssef Chermiti to start over Bojan Miovski vs Ferencvaros
Chermiti joined Rangers for £10million from Everton on 1 September, and has registered just two goal contributions in 16 appearances.
Chermiti missed a golden opportunity to win the match against Dundee United on 3 December, and Miovski’s brace has surely made him nailed-on to start against the Hungarian champions.
Speaking on The Go Radio Football Show Podcast on 8 December, Ferguson has gone against the grain and backs the big-money signing to be selected by Rohl.
He said: “I don’t know if he’ll start on Thursday, given the fact that they play Hibernian on Monday.
“I think Rohl will go with Chermiti because it’ll be difficult for Rangers to qualify for the next stage of the Europa League.”
The logic is completely flawed, with Miovski’s inclusion obviously giving the Bears a better chance of securing their first Europa League win of the season.
The Kilmarnock match was the first time we have seen Miovski put in a performance that was reminiscent of his prolific days at Aberdeen.
Supporters have been crying out for a reliable goalscorer all season long, and now that the North Macedonian striker has shown what he is capable of, there is no excuse for him to fall back into his inconsistent ways.
Of course, this doesn’t exactly bode well for Chermiti’s future, although he can’t say that he hasn’t been offered his fair share of chances.
He has featured predominantly in the Europa League, starting every match but failing to score in any of them.
The stats that show why Youssef Chermiti can’t start such an important match
According to Sofascore, Chermiti has a pass accuracy of 57.3 per cent in the Europa League, which renders him virtually useless when it comes to being involved in build-up play.
That shockingly bad stat would be acceptable if he converted every chance that came his way, but he has yet to find any success from the 12 shots he has recorded in the five games so far.
The striker has already had plenty of time to prove himself on the European stage, and it would make no sense to start him over Miovski when the North Macedonian is full of confidence.
When looking at Ferencvaros, they are unbeaten in all five of their matches, and the vociferous atmosphere at the Groupama Arena could certainly intimidate Rangers’ unproven squad.
Regardless of their excellent start, Ferencvaros aren’t rock solid at the back, and Chermiti is the last man that could unlock their defence, with the Portuguese striker only creating one chance so far.
A loss for Rangers would signal the end of their European adventure in 2025-26, something that is completely unfathomable given the net spend of £20million in the summer transfer window.
If Ferguson’s wishes are met by Rohl on Thursday, a sense of uneasiness would creep in among Gers supporters who aren’t convinced by Chermiti.
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