Sport

Sterling ditched, maverick unleashed 3 changes rangers XI vs Killie

Published

7 months ago

February 28, 2024

Glasgow Rangers travel away from Ibrox this evening as they return to action once again in the Scottish Premiership to take on Kilmarnock at Rugby Park.

The Light Blues are currently two points clear at the top of the table and will be hoping to retain their place in the division as their rivals Celtic face Dundee tonight.

Depending on how both games go, the Gers could end the night five points clear in first or one point behind in second, which illustrates how vitally important every match is at this stage in the season.

Philippe Clement’s side are in a fantastic position but they must maintain their current performance levels and not let many points slip between now and the end of the season.

The Scottish giants hammered Hearts 5-0 last weekend but the Belgian head coach could make some changes to the starting XI from that match in order to keep players fresh.

With this in mind, here is FFC’s predicted Rangers line-up to take to the field at Rugby Park against Kilmarnock this evening…

1Jack Butland

Starting off in goal, Jack Butland should keep his place as the impressive giant, who is reportedly in contention to make the England squad next month, has been fantastic this season.

The 30-year-old colossus has kept 17 clean sheets in 27 Premiership appearances throughout the 2023/24 campaign since his move from Crystal Palace last summer.

2James Tavernier

At right-back, captain James Tavernier should keep his place once again. The English dynamo has scored two goals and provided three assists in his last three Premiership outings.

He has the quality, with 12 goals and eight assists in 27 league matches, to provide a huge attacking threat down the right flank to potentially win the game for the Gers.

3Connor Goldson

Connor Goldson is another player who could start again. The English titan won 70% (7/10) of his duels against Hearts as he helped to keep Jam Tarts star Lawrence Shankland quiet at Ibrox.

4John Souttar

Alongside the former Brighton ace, Scotland international John Souttar could start after he won 100% (4/4) of his aerial duels against Hearts on Saturday.

The dominant central defender has won 76% of his duels in 19 appearances in the Premiership this season, which shows that opposition players rarely get the better of him on the floor or in the air.

5Borna Barisic

The first change to the starting XI could come at left-back. Borna Barisic and Ridvan Yilmaz have been rotated throughout the campaign and it could be the Croatia international’s turn to shine.

He has started 12 matches, to the Turkish gem’s 14, in the Premiership and provided his teammates with three assists and 1.9 key passes per game.

Barisic’s current contract with Rangers is due to expire at the end of the season and he is currently playing to either earn a new deal or attract interest from elsewhere.

6Mohammed Diomande

In midfield, Mohammed Diomande should be provided with another opportunity to impress after a fantastic start to life in Scotland after his move during the January transfer window.

The Ivorian wizard has scored in each of his two Premiership starts for the Light Blues so far, with long-range strikes against St. Johnstone and Hearts this month.

7John Lundstram

Alongside the recent arrival, the experience of John Lundstram should be called upon in the middle of the park to partner Diomande for Clement.

The former Sheffield United star produced a fantastic no-look assist for Fabio Silva at the weekend, threading a perfect ball through to the striker to make it 5-0.

8Ross McCausland

The second change to the XI could come on the right side of the attack as academy graduate Ross McCausland could replace versatile gem Dujon Sterling.

Dujon Sterling	Vs Hearts
Minutes played	56
Shots	One
Key passes	Zero
Goals + assists	Zero
Duel success rate	17%
Stats via Sofascore

As you can see in the table above, the former Chelsea prospect endured a difficult afternoon against Hearts, in spite of the comfortable scoreline, with a lack of impact in and out of possession.

Clement could ditch Sterling from the line-up for this clash to unleash McCausland, who has provided three assists in his last eight appearances in all competitions, as a natural winger on the right side.

9Tom Lawrence

Tom Lawrence should retain his place in the starting line-up with Kieran Dowell and Todd Cantwell both missing through injury, as he is the only natural number ten option in the squad.

The Welsh magician assisted Oscar Cortes with a crisp pass across the box to the winger against Hearts on Saturday, which was his third league assist of the campaign.

10Oscar Cortes

On the left of the attack, Cortes could start again after a goal and an assist in the 5-0 win over Hearts, with no quality replacement available for him.

Scott Wright, who was the manager’s other back-up winger on the bench alongside McCausland, has made 15 appearances in the league without a goal or an assist to his name this season.

11Fabio Silva

The third and final alteration to the line-up could come in the centre-forward position as Wolves loanee Silva could be rotated in to replace Cyriel Dessers.

He came off the bench to score against Hearts, with a brilliantly timed run and clinical finish, after the Nigerian striker had scored twice in the match.

Dessers, however, has been far from reliable in front of goal this season. The former Cremonese forward has scored 12 goals and missed a staggering 20 ‘big chances’ in 24 Premiership outings.

Silva, whose work rate has been described as “infectious” by teammate Goldson, has scored two goals and missed three ‘big chances’ in seven matches, three of which have been as a starter for the Scottish giants.

With games coming thick and fast at the moment, Clement could opt to rotate his strikers to avoid injuries and fatigue, which is why the Portuguese gem could return.

The 21-year-old maverick represents a different, more dynamic, option to Dessers, who is not quite as mobile, and could provide a threat in-behind the Killie defence, as he did for his goal against Hearts.