Rangers suffered a significant setback on Wednesday night, dropping two points against 10-man Motherwell in the Premiership race. They lacked courage and character despite grabbing an early lead, and it remains to be seen how Danny Rohl prepares his men ahead of league leaders Hearts’ visit to Ibrox on Sunday evening.
The Jambos have won both home and away while clashing heads with the Gers so far this season. They have a five-point cushion at the top of the standings; however, dropping points this weekend could jeopardise their title dreams if Celtic defeat Kilmarnock at Rugby Park on Sunday afternoon.
Predicted 4-2-3-1 Rangers Lineup To Face Hearts
Defence
Jack Butland was impressive once again, having conceded just once against a 2.10 xGOT in North Lanarkshire. Hearts would make his life difficult with their directness and swift attacks, and the veteran Englishman must maintain his excellence, as they can’t afford to lose further points in the three-horse battle for silverware.
Dujon Sterling was brought in as a late substitute at Fir Park, but the versatile fullback should be restored to the starting XI, replacing James Tavernier. Fit-again Emmanuel Fernandez is expected to get the nod over Nasser Djiga and partner with John Souttar in the heart of the backline, and the gaffer might stick with Jayden Meghoma on the left, regardless of Tuur Rommens’ strong debut against Kilmarnock.
Midfield
The arrival of Tochi Chukwuani has bolstered Rangers in the centre of the pitch, but the manager should rotate him for an attacking midfield setup. Mohamed Diomande could be dropped to a deeper role to form a ‘double pivot’ alongside Nicolas Raskin, thus making way for Thelo Aasgaard, who must exhibit his flair, finesse and creative spark from his preferred ‘number 10′ role.
The Light Blues have ample options down the flanks, with Andreas Skov Olsen, Djeidi Gassama, Mikey Moore and Oliver Antman fighting for first-team spots. Olsen, who was an unused substitute against the Steelmen, should return down the right, replacing Gassama. Moore is likely to keep his place on the left, as his swift footwork, dribbling and tricky runs could cause menace in the Hearts’ defensive third.
Attack
Rangers have brought in highly-rated Ryan Naderi from the third tier of German football to challenge and cover Youssef Chermiti and Bojan Miovski high up the pitch. Chermiti has been Rohl’s preferred choice for the centre-forward slot; however, the young Portuguese must step up his game and show more consistency while spearheading the attack.
