Rangers faced their first defeat of the season last week and it was a huge one to none other than their local rivals Celtic. The Gers were beaten 5-1 at Parkhead by the team they hate the most. Many were rooting for the Gers to take on Celtic for the title on their comeback season to the Premiership but it looked exactly what Celtic skipper Scott Brown described– ‘men against boys’. Mark Warburton needs to address a number of areas when his side returns to action this weekend.
Rangers will take on Ross County this Saturday who are a point and a place behind them on the table. The visitors have won just three of their last six games in all competitions and the same goes for Rangers. The Gers must ensure they win this game at any cost or else it would be a massive setback for the team’s morale. Warburton needs to address his tactics as well after how Celtic bamboozled past their defence.
Here is the predicted Rangers lineup against Ross County.
Defence
Wes Foderingham conceded as many as five goals last weekend but we cannot really blame the Englishman for his efforts. The 25-year-old will keep his place under the bar. James Tavernier is a key player for the Gers with his brilliant attacking runs from down the right flank and he will keep his place in the right-back position. Philippe Senderos had a horrible debut with Rangers. The experienced Swiss international was fooled by young Moussa Dembele and made things worse for his team by getting sent off in the second half.
After his horrible first showing, it will be surprising to see him again to feature in a Rangers kit anytime soon and the fans will be happy that he is only on a one-year contract. Danny Wilson will make his way back to the starting XI and will start alongside Rob Kiernan. Lee Wallace will start in the left full-back role.
Midfield
Joey Barton had a tough outing against Celtic but still likely to keep his place in the middle of the park. Andy Halliday is likely to partner the veteran Englishman in midfield. Niko Kranjcar has so far found it hard to impress as a number eight and Warburton should use the Croat in an advanced playmaker role now. Harry Forrester and Barrie McKay will start on the flanks.
Attack
Martyn Waghorn had been missed sorely by Rangers when he was out injured and the 26-year-old is likely to replace veteran Kenny Miller up front.
