Premiership giants Rangers will be looking to maintain their nine-point lead at the top of the league table when they welcome Hamilton to the Ibrox Stadium this weekend. The Gers are coming into this fixture on the back of a disappointing 3-3 draw against Benfica in midweek, where despite having a two goal advantage at one point, they were unable to see out the victory. More worryingly, the Ibrox club seemed to completely collapse defensively in the late stages of that fixture, despite the fact that the Portuguese outfit had been reduced to ten men even before the halfway mark.
Gerrard’s side are currently sitting pretty at the top of the league table, with Old Firm rivals Celtic seemingly struggling to develop any level of form. Some of the attacking plays that Rangers produced during the Benfica draw were truly commendable, and a similar performance would certainly be more than enough to overcome the challenge of Hamilton. The Accies currently sit at the very bottom of the Premiership table, with just 7 points to show from their 11 matches in the league so far. This could, in fact, prove to be the Gers’ easiest fixture for the next couple of months.
Team News
Gerrard’s side don’t have too many injury concerns to deal with at this point in time, with the likes of Brandon Barker, Borna Barisic and Ryan Jack all back to full fitness. Another boost that the Ibrox club recently received was that summer signing Bongani Zungu has made his way to first team training. Not just that, the South African was also an unused substitute in their recent Europa League encounter. Although it would be pushing it to expect him to start in this match, there’s every chance that the loanee will have the opportunity to make his debut for the club on Saturday evening.
Here Is The Predicted 4-3-3 Rangers Lineup Vs Hamilton Academical:
Predicted 4-3-3 Rangers Lineup Vs Hamilton Academical
Defence
The Ibrox club’s recent outing saw them concede more than two goals in a match for the first time this season, and Gerrard is sure to be concerned about that fact. Despite the unflattering scoreline, it must be conceded that Allan McGregor is likely to retain his place in between the sticks. Leon Balogun could be preferred to Filip Helander alongside Connor Goldson in midfield, after the latter made a costly mistake against Benfica in midweek. James Tavernier and Borna Barisic were both beyond impressive their last match, and it would be highly surprising to see them getting dropped.
Midfield
The likes of Ryan Jack, Steven Davis and Glen Kamara were all excellent when the tie against Benfica was going their way, and this is sure to have a say in what combination Gerrard decides to start with against Hamilton. Jack is likely to continue as the midfield anchor, with Glen Kamara expected to play alongside him in the core of the team. Scott Arfield could make his way back into the eleven in a more advanced role as well, in place of Steven Davis.
Attack
Gerrard opted to go for a more conservative approach against Benfica, and it’s worth stating that it worked out for the most part. Joe Aribo was deployed as an attacking threat, but the youngster wasn’t able to live up to the billing. Ianis Hagi could hence make his return to the first team this weekend, with the Nigerian expected to drop down to the bench. Alfredo Morelos put in what was arguably his best performance of the season so far, but the proximity of the two fixtures could force the manager into starting Kemar Roofe in the role. Ryan Kent though is likely to retain his place over on the left side.
