If Rangers defeat Benfica tonight, they will advance to the Europa League’s last eight.
On Thursday night, Glasgow Rangers take on Benfica at Ibrox with the chance to advance to the Europa League quarterfinals.
Due to injuries to Dujon Sterling and Ross McCausland, who both left the team that defeated Hibs 2-0 at Easter Road in the Scottish Cup this past weekend, Philippe Clement may need to make a few changes to his starting lineup.
Not only will the Belgian manager be experimenting with the wings, but he also has some additional changes planned because Cyriel Dessers has struggled in his last two starts.
The 29-year-old was selected to start last week’s match against the Portuguese team, although he made no significant contributions to the outcome.
In his 76 minutes on the field, the Nigerian striker made very few touches and completed just eight passes, forcing Rangers to look elsewhere for goals.
In fact, he lost both of his dribbling attempts, did not attempt a shot during the game, won only two of his eight contested duels, and was replaced by Kemar Roofe with barely fifteen minutes remaining.
Even though Roofe has recently experienced injury problems, Clement has to start him tonight against Ibro.
In an effort to increase his fitness, Roofe was given some playing time against Hibs over the weekend and looked energetic during his cameo last week.
Due to many injuries, the center-forward has missed a significant portion of the season. Since his contract expires at the end of the current campaign, he may be nearing the end of his time in Glasgow.
Roofehas made 19 appearances this season, scoring two goals and dishing out one assist. One of his goals occurred in the Europa League back in December when he gave the Gers the victory over Real Betis, ensuring that they would win their group.
He has made the biggest impression in Europe. Roofe has generated a lot of opportunities, averaged 0.5 crucial passes per game, completed 0.5 successful dribbles per game (0.5), and won 3.5 duels overall per match despite just starting once in the competition.
These numbers ought to give Clement the green light to eventually insert him into the starting lineup. If the striker is healthy, he may undoubtedly pose a threat to the Benfica defense.
The £26k-per-week striker’s remarkable work ethic and appetite during games earned him the nickname “Duracell bunny” from his former manager Steven Gerrard, and Clement wants exactly this on a big European night.
In addition to increasing the team’s finances, a victory will give the Gers some momentum going into the last few weeks of the season and advance them to the event’s quarterfinals for the second time in three years.
Since coming, Clement has performed admirably, and the match against Benfica has proven to be the most difficult thus far.
Read more on:https://sportupdates.co.uk/
Leave a Reply