Todays game not only represents a great chance to give some fringe players minutes. It also represents a great chance for some players to find their confidence. A few of Rangers summer signings have yet to hit the ground running. Could this tie be the chance to kickstart their Rangers careers?
Unfortunately for Morton, I believe Michael Beale will put out an incredibly strong squad today. There will be changes from Tuesday and with next Tuesday in mind. Here’s my predicted line-up for the match.
GOALKEEPER
GK – Robby McCrorie – Rangers second choice goalkeeper should get the nod for this one. He’s stayed, so far, so fight for his place but with Butland impressing it looks unlikely he can force his way in.
Today is a great chance to get him some minutes though and it will be interesting to see if he stays beyond this transfer window.
DEFENCE
RB – Dujon Sterling – Injury scuppered his preseason and it’s unclear if he had been fit throughout if he’d have been more involved already. With Tavernier receiving a lot of criticism recently it’s a chance for him to stake a claim for the RB spot.
I’m excited to see him in action as he looks like a physical monster and a good defender. Things which Tavernier isn’t.
CBs – Leon Balogun & Leon King – I think the double Leon’s will start today. Balogun was great last week against Livingston and it will be King’s first start of the season.
It’s a really good opportunity for both to get minutes in the legs.
LB – Ridvan Yilmaz – If he’s fit, he has to start. For me, without the injury, he’d have been first choice to start the season.
He needs to claim that spot from Barisic if considers his future to be at Ibrox.
MIDFIELD
CDM – John Lundstram – Has found himself out of the team since the opening day of the season. Will likely come back in to get some minutes in the legs.
He needs big performances to force his way back into the team.
RCM – Ianis Hagi – Hagi impressed playing deeper in preseason. I think he should be given a chance as an 8 competitively to show what he’s capable of.
A player of great technical ability who was crucial in the 55 season. It’s time to see what he can still offer.
LCM – Kieran Dowell – Dowell was also impressive in preseason. His work off the ball being the thing that surprised most. He’s another incredibly technically gifted footballer that also has a wand of a left foot. As showcased by his goal last weekend.
I’m looking forward to seeing more of him.
FORWARDS
CAM – Sam Lammers – The most impressive player, in my opinion, in preseason. He hasn’t hit those levels yet competitively but hopefully his first goal last week provides the confidence boost needed to kickstart his Rangers career.
ST – Cyriel Dessers – Dessers has come in for a fair bit of criticism since his arrival, unfairly, in my opinion. He came into preseason with an injury so was a few weeks behind the rest of the squad.
He’s not hit the levels required yet but we’re in the first month of the season. Let’s not get too carried away by calling him ‘hopeless’ eh?
ST – Rabbi Matondo – Matondo had a very exciting cameo against Livingston last weekend and grabbed an assist. He’s been left out of the European squad again so had to impress domestically to prove he has a future at Ibrox.
Today could be one of those chances.
CONCLUSION
With the strength of the squad currently, with no disrespect to Morton, this should be an easy win. It’s another chance for the players to get used to each other and the system Beale wants to play.
Rangers need to start clicking this season. There’s some huge domestic and European games coming up. Today is a chance for some of those players to gain a confidence boost and kick on from there.
What’s your predicted line-up? What do you think the score will be today?
I contributed a piece on what to expect from Rangers for themortonforum.com.
ICYMI you can read yesterdays piece on Nico Raskin here.