After losing all three games in the Europa League, Rangers will face another tricky test on Thursday night, with Italian heavyweights AS Roma ready to lock horns with Danny Rohl’s men at Ibrox. A valiant effort went in vain when ten-man Gers suffered a 3-1 League Cup semifinal defeat against Old Firm rivals Celtic after extra time, and the bottom-placed Light Blues must script an upset this midweek to keep their European hopes alive.
Roma clinched a 2-1 win on the road against Nice, but have struggled of late with successive home defeats against Lille and Viktoria Plzen. While they lost against AC Milan over the weekend, a stellar Serie A run under Gian Piero Gasperini makes the Giallorossi one of the prime contenders for the Scudetto early into the campaign. A win against Rangers could see them bounce back in Europe and eventually aim for a top-eight finish to avoid knock-out phase encounters.
Predicted 3-4-2-1 Rangers Lineup To Face AS Roma
Defence
Jack Butland has been a shining light in Rangers’ goal, and the experienced Englishman must deliver another inspiring performance from the last line of defence.
Rohl has relied on a ‘back three’ in recent games. He should stick with Nasser Djiga, John Souttar and Derek Cornelius, as the defensive trio has restored stability and composure to a certain extent. Emmanuel Fernandez has hardly been involved since his summer move, and the former Peterborough United centre-half should stay patient and wait for his opportunities in the heart of the backline.
Midfield
Skipper James Tavernier is still going strong on the right, and despite featuring at times as a right-sided centre-back, the 34-year-old Englishman must get the nod over Max Aarons as a right wingback. Jayden Meghoma should keep his place on the left, and the gaffer must opt for Nicolas Raskin and Mohamed Diomande deep down the midfield over Connor Barron and Joe Rothwell.
Thelo Aasgaard has hardly impressed since he arrived from Luton Town, and the red card against Celtic could now see him losing his starting spot, regardless of competition. Mikey Moore has impressed from the flank, and the on-loan Spurs teenager must make it to the starting XI alongside Djeidi Gassama. Oliver Antman and Danilo could be brought in from the bench as second-half substitutes.
Attack
Youssef Chermiti got the nod over Bojan Miovski in the past two outings. But the gaffer should opt for the Macedonian, given his finishing trait and poaching instinct.
ADD AS PREFERRED SOURCE ON GOOGLE
