Reo Hatate ruled out of Rangers v Celtic Old Firm clash – Ange Postecoglou
Rangers have been handed a boost ahead of the Old Firm clash with Celtic on Saturday as Reo Hatate was ruled out through injury by Ange Postecoglou.
The Gers head to Parkhead on Saturday lunchtime (8 April) as they look to cut the gap at the top down to six points, and were given positive news when Michael Beale revealed that Nicolas Raskin will be available.
But we were handed an added bonus when Celtic boss Postecoglou announced that Japan international Hatate won’t be available for the home team, weakening their options in midfield.
“Reo hasn’t come up but Aaron [Mooy] is fine,” he told Sky Sports News (7 April). “From last week the only change is that Aaron is available.”
Boost
Hatate has got a really good record against Rangers and is one of the most influential players for Celtic, making him a big reason for their recent successes.
But now with him being unavailable, despite their good strength in depth, it will be an advantage to Rangers in a position that is key to winning the game.
During the Scottish League Cup final the absence of Nicolas Raskin and Todd Cantwell meant we never had control of the game, but the opposite could be true this time around.
A win is vital if we have any real wishes to become champions this season, with even a draw maintaining a nine-point gap and all but handing Celtic another title.
But Rangers fans will be confident after 10 straight league wins that they can beat Celtic, even without any away fans travelling because they’ve looked shaky in recent weeks too.
This is winnable, and even moreso now with no Hatate.
In other Rangers news, financial troubles have thrown doubt on a transfer that would see one ace leave Ibrox.