Todd Cantwell returns amid three changes – Rangers confirmed XI v AberdeenRangers have confirmed their starting XI v Aberdeen as Philippe Clement makes three changes from the side that won 3-2 against Real Betis in Seville as he looks to win his first piece of silverware in Glasgow.
Todd Cantwell, Dujon Sterling and Leon Balogun come into the side in place of Sam Lammers, Jose Cifuentes and Ben Davies as Clement looks to shake up the side in his first shot at a trophy.
An ongoing injury crisis at Ibrox means the boss was limited for options, but the return of Cantwell will be a welcome boost while Sterling’s new role in midfield was something he proved he could do in the Europa League win – particularly welcome news for Clement given Cifuentes is banned for this game.
Nothing but a win is good enough
Rangers need to win this game. The result here could define the outcome of the rest of their season, with the possibility to inspire or crush the players depending on the result, and they absolutely must make sure they take the trophy back to Ibrox.
Given the context of their season overall – a terrible start which saw them drop far behind Celtic in the league before Michael Beale was sacked – to win a trophy at the earliest opportunity would see them bounce back and hopefully go on to prove a real threat at the top of the league.
With Celtic having lost to Hearts at Parkhead on 16 December, Rangers are now within five points of top spot with two games in hand, and trophy success against Aberdeen would provide them with the ideal platform to push on.
A win in the League Cup final will do more than just win Rangers some more silverware, it could outline how the rest of their season will go, and there is unlikely to be more of an opportunity for success than the one that has fallen at their feet in recent weeks.
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