Premiership giants Rangers will be looking to get back to winning ways when they take on Motherwell at the Ibrox Stadium this weekend. The Gers are coming into this clash on the back of their first defeat of the season across all competitions, as they fell 3-2 victims to St. Mirren. Not only does this mean that Steven Gerrard’s unbeaten streak this campaign is over, but it also means that they will not take part in the next round of the prestigious domestic competition. More surprising is the fact that neither Celtic nor Rangers, have made it into the semi-finals phase of the tournament.
Rangers currently find themselves sitting pretty at the top of the Premiership table, with enough breathing space between them and Celtic already. Their Old Firm rivals have been in the middle of a shocking blip for a number of weeks now, and this has handed Gerrard’s men a stellar lead going into what promises to be a busy Holiday period. Rangers’ last league outing ended in a 2-1 win against Dundee United, where goals from James Tavernier and Connor Goldson proved to be the difference between the two sides. A win this time would increase the gap with Celtic to 16 points, as the Hoops are set to play in a cup final this weekend.
Team News
Scottish midfielder Ryan Jack has been absent from the side for a number of fixtures now, and it’s hence unlikely that he’ll be rushed back into the side for this fixture. The other absentee is centre-half Nikola Katic, who due to a long-term injury, has not yet played any part in this team so far this season. Alfredo Morelos was excluded from the roster for the defeat to St. Mirren, which means that he’s sure to make his way back in. Leon Balogun came off the pitch with a knock in midweek, and he might not be risked by Gerrard either.
Here Is The Predicted 4-3-3 Rangers Lineup Vs Motherwell:
Predicted 4-3-3 Rangers Lineup Vs Motherwell
Defence
Allan McGregor has been the first-choice name in between the sticks since the start of the season, and this is despite the summer arrival of Jon McLaughlin in the same role. For this fixture too, expect Gerrard to stick to his guns and deploy McGregor as the custodian right from the off. In front of him, the centre-half duo that started against St. Mirren could be broken up, after Leon Balogun walked off injured in the late stages of that tie. Connor Goldson should instead be partnered by Filip Helander, with James Tavernier and Borna Barisic starting in the two full-back roles.
Midfield
Gerrard opted to go with a different sort of midfield line for the midweek outing, and although they did show their quality in glimpses, the lack of control in the second half proved to be extremely costly. Bongani Zungu and Joe Aribo both started, but the duo is expected to drop down to the bench for this meeting against Motherwell. Scott Arfield is the one midweek starter who should play on the weekend as well, with veteran midfielder Steven Davis and Finnish ace Glen Kamara likely to be brought back into the Gers’ eleven.
Attack
Not only did Alfredo Morelos play no part in the defeat to St. Mirren on the weekend, but he was also completely omitted from the matchday eighteen. That’s probably a move that Gerrard is regretting now, as bringing on a player like the Colombian would’ve had the potential to pay massive dividends for him in midweek. Expect the former Helsinki man to come into the front-three this time around, with the two who started on the flanks – Ryan Kent and Kemar Roofe, continuing in the wide areas.
