Steven Gerrard’s Rangers side will be hoping to continue their unbeaten start to the current season when they welcome the dangerous threat of Aberdeen to the Ibrox Stadium this weekend. The Gers’ last match saw them hand out an 8-0 thrashing to Hamilton in Glasgow, with the likes of James Tavernier, Kemar Roofe and Joe Aribo all grabbing braces. The Dons, on the other hand, played out what was a rather comfortable 2-0 victory against Hibernian. While the home side for this outing are sitting pretty at the top of the table, Aberdeen are a whole 12 points behind them, in third place.
Team News
Rangers
The Ibrox club have almost a full-strength squad to choose from for this clash, as George Edmundson and Jordan Jones remain the only absentees. The duo was handed a seven-match ban after they were caught breaking the strict rules that the club had in place due to the Coronavirus. In terms of injury, Nikola Katic is the only player who is sure to not play any part in this match. South African midfielder Bongani Zungu’s introduction in their last outing was impressive, which means that he’s sure to be available as well.
Predicted XI: McGregor, Tavernier, Goldson, Helander, Barisic, Jack, Kamara, Aribo, Hagi, Roofe, Kent
Aberdeen
The Dons currently find themselves in a much more sensitive situation than their opposition for the weekend, as they have five key players unavailable for selection. Niall McGinn, Dylan McGeouch, Jonny Hayes and Marley Watkins are unlikely to play any part in proceedings, in what could come as a massive blow to their general ambitions for the tie. Even more worryingly, the midfield presence of Ross McCrorie will be missing as well, in that the Rangers loanee isn’t allowed to play against his parent club.
Predicted XI: Lewis, Hoban, Taylor, Considine, McLennan, Ojo, Ferguson, Kennedy, Hedges, Wright, Cosgrove
Here Is The Rangers Vs Aberdeen Tactical Preview:
Rangers Vs Aberdeen Tactical Preview
Talking Tactics
Rangers
The Glasgow club have been the dominant force in the league since the opening week, which means that they’re likely to try and overpower the Dons right from the off. Steven Gerrard will be keen on winning the midfield battle, and with Ross McCrorie missing for Aberdeen, they could have an easier task. Expect the Gers to dominate possession for large chunks of the game, with the likes of Barisic and Tavernier being granted space to run into. Kemar Roofe will have to help them by holding the ball up and making smart runs in behind this Aberdeen back-line
Aberdeen
The Dons are likely to take a much more cautious approach than usual against the high-flying Light Blues. The Gers’ back line has been nothing short of rock solid this season, which means that finding a way through the middle, like they did against Celtic a few weeks ago, won’t be an accessible option. They are surely going to be forced to do a lot of defending, in that the Rangers front-line has been a dangerous one as well. With counter-attacking looking like the only possible avenue that they can exploit, this fixture is sure to be their toughest of the season so far.
Key Men
Rangers
For all the good attacking play that Rangers have produced, it must be conceded that midfield has had an important role. Ryan Jack’s ability to take control of a midfield has been one of the biggest selling points, and if he’s able to do that again, then Rangers could be in for a walk in the park.
Aberdeen
A lot of the Dons’ attacking play could come down to whether or not the isolated lone striker is able to hold the ball up and bring others into the game. To this end, the impact that Sam Cosgrove needs to have while leading the line simply cannot be underplayed.
