Sport
Rangers early Team News v Celtic: Senior ace to miss out, fringe player to start
Philippe Clement is set to start Ben Davies for the first time this calendar year when Rangers take on Celtic at Celtic Park on Saturday 11 May, according to The Scottish Sun.
Writing on their website (9 May), the newspaper reported that the manager has opted not to risk the fitness of Leon Balogun after he was forced off with a muscle injury during the win over Kilmarnock.
With Connor Goldson already ruled out for the season, that means Davies will get his first start since December alongside John Souttar for the must-win Old Firm clash after his goal from the substitutes bench last week.
Ben Davies fighting for his Rangers future v Celtic
There is due to be a major squad overhaul at Ibrox this summer, with Clement expected to have a “mini-revolution” to put his stamp on the team.
That means several players are going to leave with plenty of business incoming too, and players like Davies are the ones most susceptible to being sold because of their lack of minutes and their age profile.
Davies has hardly been called upon this season despite the major injury issues the team has dealt with, but now he has got a chance to prove he has something to offer in the biggest game of the season so far.
With a big performance he could potentially convince the manager that he has a role to play next season, and that the club’s budget can go towards strengthening other areas of the pitch.
It’s a huge call from the manager in such a big game, but it shows he trusts his squad and that should give Davies confidence to come into the team despite being largely forgotten about until this point.
