The Glasgow Rangers will be playing in the Scottish Premiership again this evening, traveling from Ibrox to Rugby Park to face Kilmarnock.
As their opponents Celtic take on Dundee today, the Light Blues, who lead the division by two points at the moment, will be looking to hold onto their position.
The importance of every game at this time in the season is demonstrated by the possibility that the Gers might finish the evening five points ahead of second place or one point behind, depending on the outcomes of both games.
Although Philippe Clement’s team is in a great position right now, they still need to keep up their current performance levels and avoid dropping too many points before the season ends.
The Belgian head coach may alter the starting lineup from the Scottish giants’ 5-0 demolition of Hearts last weekend in order to rotate players and maintain freshness.
In light of this, the following is FFC’s projected Rangers lineup for this evening’s matchup at Rugby Park versus Kilmarnock.
1 Jack Butland Starting in goal, Jack Butland ought to maintain his spot since he’s been outstanding this season. The towering behemoth is supposedly in the running to make the England squad for next month.
In 27 Premiership games this 2023–24 season since joining from Crystal Palace last summer, the 30-year-old behemoth has kept 17 clean sheets.
2 James Tavernier
Captain James Tavernier ought to retain his spot at right-back once more. The English star has made three assists and two goals in his last three Premiership games.
With 12 goals and 8 assists in 27 league games, he possesses the ability to be a tremendous attacking danger down the right wing and maybe win the game for the Gers.
3Connor Goldson
Another player who could start again is Connor Goldson. The English giant kept Jam Tarts star Lawrence Shankland quiet at Ibrox, winning 70% (7/10) of his duels against Hearts.
4 John Souttar Scotland international John Souttar, who won 100% (4/4) of his aerial duels against Hearts on Saturday, might start alongside the former Brighton star.
Throughout his 19 Premiership appearances this season, the commanding center defender has won 76% of his duels, demonstrating that rival players seldom outmaneuver him in the air or on the ground.
5 Borna Barisic Left-back could be the first player to alter in the starting lineup. Throughout the campaign, Borna Barisic and Ridvan Yilmaz have alternated, and now might be the Croatian international’s time to shine.
In the Premiership, he has started 12 games—compared to the Turkish gem’s 14—and given his teammates 1.9 crucial passes and three assists each time out.
Barisic is presently playing to either win a new contract with Rangers or draw interest from other teams because his current one is set to expire at the end of the current campaign.
6 Mohammed Diomande
Mohammed Diomande should be given another chance to shine in midfield after making a big impression during the January transfer window and having an amazing start to life in Scotland.
The Ivorian wizard, who netted long-range goals against St. Johnstone and Hearts this month, has scored in each of his first two Premiership starts for the Light Blues.
7.Lundstram John
In the middle of the park, John Lundstram’s expertise should be tapped in addition to the newcomer to partner Diomande for Clement.
The former Sheffield United player sent a flawless ball through to the striker to make it 5-0 over the weekend. It was an incredible no-look assist.
8 Ross McCausland The versatile jewel Dujon Sterling might be replaced by academy graduate Ross McCausland in the starting lineup, marking the second alteration to the starting lineup.
Despite the comfortable scoreline, the former Chelsea prospect had a challenging afternoon against Hearts as you can see from the table above. He was ineffective both in and out of possession.
McCausland, a natural winger on the right side who has three assists in his last eight games across all competitions, could be unleashed by Clement by leaving Sterling off the starting lineup for this match.
Tom Lawrence, number nine
As the only natural number ten option on the team, Tom Lawrence should continue to start in the lineup with Kieran Dowell and Todd Cantwell out due to injuries.
Against Hearts on Saturday, the Welsh wizard provided his third league assist of the year to Oscar Cortes with a lovely pass across the box to the winger.
Oscar Cortes ten After scoring a goal and providing an assist in the 5-0 victory over Hearts, Cortes could start again on the left side of the attack as there isn’t a strong substitute available.
In addition to McCausland, the manager’s other backup winger on the bench, Scott Wright, has made 15 league appearances this season without recording a goal or an assist.
11 Fabio Silva
The third and final change to the starting lineup might involve a rotation of Wolves loanee Silva in place of Cyriel Dessers at center forward.
After the Nigerian striker scored twice in the game, he scored against Hearts off the bench with a perfectly timed run and finish.
But this season, Dessers has shown a lack of consistency in front of goal. In 24 Premiership games, the former Cremonese forward has scored 12 goals and let 20 “big chances” pass him by.
Silva has scored twice and missed three “big chances” in seven games, three of which he started for the Scottish powerhouses. Teammate Goldson has called Silva’s work ethic “infectious.”
The Portuguese gem may make a comeback because Clement may decide to rotate his strikers in order to prevent injuries and fatigue given how quickly the games are coming up.
In contrast to Dessers, who is not quite as mobile, the 21-year-old maverick is a more dynamic option and could pose a threat behind Killie’s defense, as he did for his goal against Hearts.
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