Rangers were denied a win on Wednesday night when Scott Wright’s strike was cancelled out by St. Johnstone midfielder Liam Craig. The Saints delivered a spirited display at McDiarmid Park and are likely to trouble the Gers once more in the upcoming Scottish Cup quarterfinal fixture at Ibrox.
St. Johnstone have impressed this season under Callum Davidson. They conquered the League Cup crown defeating Livingston in the final, and must aim for a ‘Cup double’ now even though the Bears knocked Celtic out in the previous round. Steven Gerrard rested an array of his first-team stars in the midweek tie, so the Sunday evening contest would be a whole different ball game for the Perth-based side.
Predicted 4-3-3 Rangers Lineup To Face St. Johnstone
Defence
Jon McLaughlin was handed a start in Wednesday’s dead rubber fixture. Still, the gaffer should restore Allan McGregor between the sticks for this knockout game as a reward for his majestic performance throughout the campaign.
Skipper James Tavernier is back in action and would get a start instead of Nathan Patterson. The latter’s suspension for breaching Covid protocols was upheld by the SFA after an appeal by Rangers, and the timely return of Tavernier would be a huge source of comfort for Gerrard.
Connor Goldson must retain his place in the heart of the backline, but we should see Filip Helander replacing Jack Simpson to partner the big Englishman. The presence of Borna Barisic would be key from the left-hand side in terms of making marauding runs, taking set-pieces, and whipping in crosses inside the Saints’ box.
Midfield
Steven Davis, 36, is still irreplaceable in the middle of the park with profound experience, intelligence and vision. The manager should bring back Scott Arfield for his versatility and box-to-box movements, whereas Glen Kamara would inject more technicality into the game with his creative spark, relentless runs, holding traits and link-up football to muddle the opponents’ shape and system.
Attack
There are ample attacking options in Rangers ranks, but the decision of deploying Joe Aribo from the wide has worked well on previous occasions. His smart one-twos, cut insides, calmness over the ball and goal-scoring attributes make him a perfect fit in Gerrard’s system over Ianis Hagi or even Kemar Roofe. The Nigerian would be shifted to his usual midfield slot to tweak the set up to 4-4-2 if the situation demands.
Alfredo Morelos was rested at McDiarmid Park but should be lined up at Ibrox to spearhead the attack. Ryan Kent was also handed a much-needed rest, and the dynamic wideman is expected to reclaim his place despite Wright’s stellar display.
