Youssef Chermiti axed, Danny Rohl makes several changes – Rangers predicted XI vs Hearts
Danny Rohl will make plenty of changes to his Rangers side against Hearts on Sunday.
The Bears can go nine Scottish Premiership games unbeaten when they take on the league leaders at Tynecastle on 21 December.
With Rangers sitting nine points behind Hearts, a win feels necessary if they are to mount a serious title challenge under Rohl.
Rangers beat Hibernian 1-0 on Monday, making a host of changes to keep players fresh ahead of yet another key Scottish Premiership clash.
Youssef Chermiti was given a rare start, but he will inevitably drop down to the bench, while Nico Raskin could be declared fit by the German head coach.
Youssef Chermiti dropped among four Rangers changes
Chermiti will always be judged by his £10million price tag at Ibrox, and his lack of quality has been brutally exposed throughout the campaign.
On Monday, the 21-year-old registered one of his better performances so far, having five shots but failing to find the back of the net.
Bojan Miovski’s brilliant form will see him undoubtedly return for the season-defining clash in Edinburgh, leaving Chermiti as a substitute once again.
| Stat | Rangers |
| Wins | 7 |
| Draws | 8 |
| Losses | 1 |
| Points | 29 |
| League position | 3rd |
Raskin was dropped in the win over Hibs due to a small knock he sustained, but he must feature against Derek McInnes’ side.
Whether he’s at full fitness or not, Rohl will likely push the Belgian international to feature for the majority of the match alongside Connor Barron, replacing Mohamed Diomande in midfield.
As for the other changes, Findlay Curtis will likely be replaced by Djeidi Gassama, while James Tavernier will come back into the side for Nasser Djiga, who has now left for AFCON.
One man who will definitely keep his place is Emmanuel Fernandez, who has had an eventful start to life in Govan, with Dujon Sterling now alongside him.
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Emmanuel Fernandez has been a mixed bag for Rangers
Fernandez has been called on in recent weeks to fill in for the injured Derek Cornelius and John Souttar, and he has been involved in the thick of the action.
In Rangers’ 2-1 loss to Ferencvaros on Thursday, the 24-year-old was slammed for allowing Barnabas Varga to head home unmarked from six yards out.
He then scored the winner against Hibs with a thumping header, which marked his third goal of the season already.
With Djiga unavailable, he will likely play alongside Sterling for the first time at the heart of the defence.
Rangers fans will surely be apprehensive of the partnership, and Fernandez can’t afford a below-par performance against the reliable Lawrence Shankland.
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