Rangers face Dundee in their final match prior to the international break
Glasgow Rangers return to domestic action this afternoon as Dundee are the opposition in the final match before the international break.
Philippe Clement saw his side crash to a 1-0 defeat against Benfica in the Europa League on Thursday evening and there could be a few changes to the starting XI today.
One positive thing about the end of the European run is that fixture congestion won’t be a problem and this could help an injury-ravaged squad during the final few weeks of the season.
Several players were below par against Benfica, but the one encouraging sign was seeing Todd Cantwell secure some minutes after recovering from his hamstring injury.
Todd Cantwell’s performance in numbers vs Dundee
Tom Lawrence started as the number ten against the Portuguese side in midweek, but he was replaced by Cantwell with less than 20 minutes to go, much to the delight of the Ibrox faithful.
Although Cantwell couldn’t quite get into the game that was slipping away from Rangers, seeing him back in action would have been a big relief for Clement.
| Todd Cantwell’s previous match against Dundee | |
|---|---|
| Accurate passes | 22/24 (92% success) |
| Key passes | 2 |
| Shots on target | 1 |
| Possession lost | 2 |
| Touches | 25 |
| Via Sofascore | |
Against Dundee, he could be given a start in order to test his fitness and there is no doubt that the midfielder can terrorise their backline.
Todd Cantwell’s season in numbers
The £1.5m signing from Norwich in January 2023 has impressed under Clement, especially since being moved to his favoured attacking midfield role.
Throughout the 2023/24 campaign, the 26-year-old has registered ten goal contributions – six goals and four assists – yet injury issues have meant he has started only 27 games.
Although initially struggling under Michael Beale, the Belgian moved Cantwell into a more central position and has been rewarded with five Premiership goals since Christmas Eve, indicating that it was an inspired move.
Among his teammates, the Englishman currently ranks fourth for goals and assists (eight) in the top flight, along with ranking fifth for big chances created (four), fourth for key passes per game (1.6) and fifth for successful dribbles per game (1.1).
If he had been totally injury-free, there is no doubt these statistics would be more impressive, but it shows how influential he can be when deployed as a number ten.
At the end of last season, journalist Josh Bunting lavished praise on Cantwell, saying: “With the momentum he has he’s going to be the catalyst in that Rangers side. Has that desire.”
It may have taken him a few months and a change of manager for him to finally hit the heights he reached between January and May last year; but it looks as though Cantwell is at the peak of his powers.
Hopefully, the £22k-per-week midfielder is fully recovered from his hamstring injury and is ready to be unleashed against Dundee, as his creative talents can certainly unlock their defence.
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