Steven Gerrard’s Rangers side will be looking to continue their European adventure when they travel to Holland to take on Willem II later this week. The Ibrox club secured a rather comfortable victory against Gibraltar-based outfit Lincoln Red Imps in the last round of action, to join Celtic in the third qualifying round. With both the Old Firm rivals set to be in action this upcoming midweek, it will be interesting to see who is more up for the task. The Ibrox side are coming into this fixture on the back of an extremely disappointing result, where they succumbed to a 2-2 draw against Hibernian.
The draw means that Celtic have now moved to within a point of the Gers atop the league table, with an additional game in the bank as well. Gerrard’s men will have to be completely faultless from here on in to have any chance of trumping the Hoops to the league title. While it could be argued that Rangers’ attacking play has been lacking all season, the recent drop off should be credited to the number of injuries they’ve had to deal with in recent weeks. Gerrard will surely have European ambitions in place as well though, which makes the upcoming midweek outing an interesting affair.
Team News
The Ibrox club have been hit with a flurry of injuries over recent weeks, with the likes of Joe Aribo, Ryan Jack and Brandon Barker spending extended spells on the sidelines. Another one of the key names who picked up a knock recently is Jamaican striker Kemar Roofe. The former Leeds man was gradually being eased into the eleven by Gerrard, but his injury has put a spanner in the English gaffer’s plans. Despite the number of players out, the Ibrox club should still have enough firepower to overcome the upcoming Dutch challenge.
Here Is The Predicted 4-3-3 Rangers Lineup Vs Willem II
Predicted 4-3-3 Rangers Lineup Vs Willem II
Defence
Jon McLaughlin has developed into a regular in Steven Gerrard’s side this season, but what this means is that Allan McGregor has been forced to play second fiddle. Despite this, expect the veteran stopper to make his return to the eleven for this fixture. In front of him, expect to Connor Goldson to take up his usual centre-half role, only to be partnered up by George Edmundson. The Englishman tends to be reserved exclusively for European encounters. Borna Barisic and Janet Tavernier are likely to fill the full-back slots.
Midfield
With key names like Ryan Jack and Joe Aribo out injured, the number of options that Gerrard has to choose from has depleted massively. With just three natural midfield options available for selection, the likelihood of all three of them taking the pitch is quite high. Scott Arfield will be the man deployed in a more attack-minded role, while Glen Kamara and Steven Davis will be tasked with protecting the back-line. Although none of them offers the same kind of dynamism as Jack or Aribo, it’s important that they bring control to the Gers’ engine room.
Attack
With Kemar Roofe seemingly unavailable for this fixture, expect to see Colombian hitman Alfredo Morelos leading the Rangers line. Not only will the former Helsinki man have to be at his best offensively, but his general work-rate will need to be at its best too. The usual suspects of Ianis Hagi and Ryan Kent will be deployed in the wide roles and tasked with providing support to Morelos while on the attack. Kent’s pace and directness could have an important part to play for Rangers in what promises to be a thrilling fixture.
