Sky Sports Pundit thinks Rangers’ £3m man can stop Callum McGregor but wants £4.5m ace dropped vs Celtic.
Rangers manager Philippe Clement faces a selection issue ahead of Sunday’s Scottish League Cup final against Celtic at Hampden Park, given his team’s record.
Clement must choose between James Tavernier and Dujon Sterling at right back. Will he re-call Danilo and Ianis Hagi, who played crucial roles in four consecutive wins, after they missed the 1-1 draw with Tottenham Hotspur on Thursday night?
Rangers grabbed the lead with Hamza Igamane against Ange Postecoglou’s squad, with Connor Barron starting off the bench. Barron should return to the XI with silverware on the line.
While Nico Raskin is expected to start against Celtic, Philippe Clement praises the Belgian’s ‘progress’. However, Mo Diomande and Nedim Bajrami may be overlooked due to their teammates’ impressive recent performances.
Ridvan Yilmaz performed well against Tottenham in a new left-wing role. Does Rangers’ £3.4 million player maintain his position ahead of Jefte Vital to counter the danger of Nicolas Kuhn and Alistair Johnston on Celtic’s right?
Philippe Clement urged to start Rangers duo Danilo and Ianis Hagi against Celtic
Derek Ferguson, a three-time League Cup winner with Rangers in the 1980s, understands Clement’s situation and the difficult decisions he must make.
If Ferguson were sitting in the Gers dugout, he would dismiss Diomande, recall both Hagi and Danilo, and seriously contemplate replacing Tavernier with Sterling.
After all, the jet-setter Daizen Maeda has directed a number of horror films, which have included the Rangers captain.
“I am not putting Diomande on the team. “It’s Raskin and Barron for me,” Ferguson adds, adding that Rangers must also be careful not to allow Callum McGregor influence the game from his playmaking role in Celtic’s engine room.
“Hagi is playing.” Hagi, [Vaclav] Cerny, and Danilo [behind the striker]. Just let them play, and be savvy enough to take on McGregor at times because he sets everything up.
“They need to be attractive and creative enough. “I believe Hagi is clever enough to drop in on McGregor.”
“I think the manager will choose Tav [over Sterling], but I believe he is traumatized. There’s history there. Maeda has torn him apart at times. He’s playing great right now, but Rangers haven’t really been asked about defense.”
Clement warned he will ‘get slaughtered’ if Rangers selection goes wrong
Tavernier scored a stunning goal against Ross County, only days after scoring in Kilmarnock’s 6-0 hammering. The long-serving captain also assisted Igamane’s last goal against Spurs with 47 minutes remaining.
However, as Ferguson himself admits, Ross County, Kilmarnock, and a subpar Tottenham squad did not pose a defensive challenge to Tavernier. Certainly not what Maeda is expected to accomplish on Sunday.
Gordon Dalziel, who began his career with Rangers in the late 1970s, acknowledges that Clement will live or die by his judgments against Celtic.
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“[Danilo and Hagi] are new. “You’ve played Kilmarnock and Ross County, and you looked a million times better [with those two in the team],” Dalziel claims. “It’s a difficult decision because if he chooses Danilo and Hagi and it goes against their wishes, he would be butchered.
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