Although Rangers are set to finish the season trophyless, a comeback win on Wednesday night against Dundee United must have entertained the Ibrox crowd in their final home game of the campaign. The upbeat Gers will now travel to Easter Road on Saturday afternoon to clash heads with Hibernian in a dead rubber fixture.
While the Hibs have already secured a third-place finish, they would aim for another victory against the Gers after last month’s 2-0 Ibrox triumph. Their previous outing in Edinburgh finished 3-3, and the Glasgow giants, under Barry Ferguson, would seek revenge as a parting gift to their interim boss before a new dawn under the ownership of the 49ers Enterprise.
Predicted 4-2-3-1 Rangers Lineup To Face Hibernian
Defence
The gaffer surprisingly restored Jack Butland between the sticks, replacing Liam Kelly. He intended to bring the Englishman back at some point, and Kelly’s minor niggle helped him make the call against the Tangerines. Butland could finish the season as the Gers’ ‘number 1’ by retaining his starting status this weekend.
Rangers found some defensive stability since Ferguson switched to a ‘back four’ after failed experiments with three-man defence. Skipper James Tavernier and Jefte should feature from the right and the left, respectively, amid injuries to Dujon Sterling and Ridvan Yilmaz. Also, the availability of Leon Balogun makes them disciplined, resolute and composed in the heart of the backline. The veteran Nigerian must exhibit his mastery alongside John Souttar, but could make way for versatile Neraysho Kasanwirjo, particularly after playing the full ninety minutes against United. Robin Propper might also be introduced from the bench to bolster the Light Blues deep down the pitch.
Midfield
Connor Barron has regained his fitness and form in the middle of the park. The young Scot is expected to partner with red-hot Nicolas Raskin, who fired in this midweek after assisting twice last weekend versus Aberdeen. Despite initially featuring as a ‘number six’ or box-to-box midfielder, Mohamed Diomande has excelled in the ‘number 10’ role. The Ivorian must continue as the attacking playmaker and open up space for the wide midfield duo, Vaclav Cerny and Hamza Igamane, with his vision, distribution, directness and creative spark. Danilo, Tom Lawrence, Oscar Cortes and Nedim Bajrami could grab some minutes as second-half substitutes in and around the attacking third.
Attack
Cyriel Dessers is the undisputed ‘number 9’, having notched 28 goals so far in all competitions. His brace on Wednesday staged a comeback, and the Nigerian hitman could record his first-ever 30-goal season with two more goals in the final gameweek.
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