Premiership front-runners Rangers will be hoping to improve their lead at the top of the table to a whopping 19 points when they welcome Neil Lennon’s Celtic side to the Ibrox Stadium this Saturday afternoon. The fixture has the potential to make or break Celtic’s season, as their current position isn’t one that will be filling either the fans or the staff with too much confidence. The last meeting between the two sides ended in a rather dominant 2-0 win to Steven Gerrard’s men. Despite playing poorly in the months prior to this, Celtic have seemingly returned to full flow, and this match could hence answer a lot of questions with regard to the path the Premiership is set to take.
Team News
The Ibrox club have been in an excellent run of form of late, as they are yet to face defeat in the Premiership since the start of the current campaign. However, injuries have often provided Steven Gerrard with some unwanted scares. For now though, the manager has the entire roster to choose from, with the exception of just two players. Nikola Katic has been missing from the scene since the start of the season, and there’s no possibility of him making it back. Another player who has been missing for a while is Ryan Jack, as the midfielder is also on the road to recovery.
Here Is The Predicted 4-3-3 Rangers Lineup Vs Celtic:
Predicted 4-3-3 Rangers Lineup Vs Celtic
Defence
Allan McGregor has been the outright first-choice at the Ibrox for a number of months now, and this is despite the summer arrival of Scottish international goalkeeper Jon McLaughlin. While both have been rock solid at the back in their own right, it’s unlikely that Gerrard will risk making a change for this clash. Expect to see Connor Goldson continuing as the main centre-half in front of the veteran goalkeeper, with Leon Balogun likely to replace Filip Helander in the heart of defence. The usual suspects of James Tavernier and Borna Barisic should start in the full-back roles.
Midfield
Whether or not Gerrard decides to mix things up in the core of the team remains to be seen, but going by the performance they put in during the midweek game, there’s no reason for the manager to make any changes. Despite Scott Arfield’s decent form over recent weeks, Joe Aribo has done enough to keep him out of the side. The Nigerian’s influence in the attack has been exceptional, and he should keep his place in the eleven. Glen Kamara is another player who has impressed heavily, while Steven Davis’ passing and vision have been important as well.
Attack
The front of three of Rangers has been doing a fine job this season irrespective of the combination that Gerrard has deployed, and this weekend should be no exception. The manager could opt to make a change from last weekend though. Ianis Hagi has been in fine form over the last couple of fixtures, but this match could see Ryan Kent taking the Romanian’s place in the eleven. The other two attackers – Alfredo Morelos and Kemar Roofe, are both quite likely to keep their places in the Rangers starting eleven.
