According to Barry Ferguson, Rangers manager Philippe Clement will start Leon Balogun over either John Souttar or Connor Goldson for the team’s Europa League matchup against Benfica.
The Light Blues want to return to winning ways after their humiliating Premiership loss to Motherwell at Ibrox on Thursday, March 7, when they travel to Portugal for the first leg of their round of 16 match.
For their “shaky” performance against Stuart Kettlewell’s team, Goldson and Souttar have drawn criticism, and Ferguson thinks Clement will probably bench one of them in favour of the injured Balogun who is back.
“I was thinking that after the game on the way home that obviously they were a bit shaky defensively, no doubt about it,” he stated in an interview with The Go Radio Football Show on March 4, 44:04.
“Big Balogun has had a few weeks to recover from that nasty blow to the face, and I believe we’ll see him rejoin the team on Thursday night against Benfica.”
Who will Philippe Clement start for Rangers against Benfica in the Europa League?
With a few moments of pure panic that put Clement’s team on the back foot as they attempted to extend their lead at the top of the league, Goldson and Southtar were both considerably behind speed for the Gers’ loss to Motherwell.
Even though Bagoun hasn’t played flawlessly this season, he has provided a far more reliable presence in the Gers’ backfield and tends to bring out the best in Goldson when he plays next to the Englishman.
It is unclear if Clement will start the Nigerian after Ferguson advised him to do so after he was selected on the bench for the loss to Motherwell, but following a poor loss, adjustments seem very possible.
To have the best opportunity of securing a spot in the quarterfinals prior to the second leg at Ibrox, Rangers should aim to start the European knockout stages with a spotless record.
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