Rangers are having a fairytale run so far this season since the appointment of Steven Gerrard as their new chief. The former Liverpool and England midfield icon has injected an attacking brand of football but also addressed the defensive concerns and fixed it up to some extent. They are still unbeaten in Europe, having made it to the group stages of Europa League knocking down the hurdles one after another from the very first qualification round.
Rangers also claimed a 2-2 draw at El Madrigal against mighty Villarreal in their first Group G outing. The Gers have lost only once in Premiership, that too against age-old rivals Celtic at Parkhead who, however, are behind the Teddy Bears in current league standings (statistic taken from before Celtic faced off Aberdeen).
Gerrard’s men, second in Premiership tally, are set to have the most crucial seven days of their season even if it’s still quite early considering a busy schedule ahead. Their next three encounters would help them to shape up the campaign regarding domestic silverware as well as a European ride. They are set to travel to West Lothian tomorrow to lock horns with new boys Livingston FC followed by a couple of difficult home fixtures – SK Rapid Wien on Thursday night in Europa League and league leaders Hearts during next Sunday lunchtime. Hearts are currently the only unbeaten Premiership side – presently enjoying a five-point lead at the top.
Livingston, although newly promoted, have defeated Hibernian at Almondvale and also held Hearts to a scoreless draw at Tynecastle. They are high on confidence and should not be underestimated at any cost even if the contests next week are more substantial and challenging. Gerrard, despite having injury concerns and several suspensions, has rotated his options quite methodically so far but would undergo a test of his managerial intellect throughout the next seven days while choosing the starting lineup.
The gaffer is boosted by the return of injured trio Borna Barisic, Ryan Jack and Gareth McAuley who are now back in full training for last few days and should be reintegrated into action versus Livi. Joe Worrall was preferred alongside Connor Goldson against Villarreal, but the duo of Nikola Katic and Goldson should be favoured against Rapid Wien due to their chemistry and understanding in the heart of the Light Blues’ backline.
Worral must be deployed at Almondvale alongside veteran McAuley, 38, who must be chomping at the bits to make his Rangers debut and is tipped to bring in leadership traits banking on his profound experience in English football. Jon Flanagan, as a left-back, will be a better pick for the European tie due to his defensive resilience whereas Barisic should start on both Sundays to inject more attacking venom down the left flank.
Gerrard had initial stumbles while compromising his stable 4-3-3 setup in order to fit in Kyle Lafferty and Alfredo Morelos together. He, however, took little time to overcome it but must not go for an experiment in these must-win fixtures. Rapid Wien defeated Spartak Moscow last week, and a win against them would hand Rangers a massive opportunity to defy the odds by making it to the knockouts of this prestigious European event. Lafferty should be a lethal weapon against his former employers next weekend whereas Morelos is expected to start versus the Austrian heavyweights having missed the Villarreal trip through suspension.
The gaffer, meanwhile, would be content with his midfield options having the likes of Graham Dorrans, Ovie Ejaria, Scott Arfield, Andy Halliday, Ross McCrorie, Ryan Jack and Lassana Coulibaly in the ranks with Jordan Rossiter fit enough to take part in domestic competitions. All have shown signs of quality in different combinations and Gerrard now must consider one game at a time to secure the best possible outcome. Celtic’s calamitous run has handed Rangers a massive opportunity to reconquer the Scottish throne and the next few days would be decisive to rebuilding their fortune after years of nightmare.
