When Rangers take on Cowdenbeath in the Scottish Cup this evening, Steven Gerrard may opt to ring the changes.
After bolstering his squad during the transfer window, there’s now even more competition for places.
Therefore, a fixture against lower league opposition provides an opportunity to give game time to undercooked players.
As a result, an out of form player should feature.
“Kyle [Lafferty] will be back in the squad tomorrow night. That’s how it is”,
said Gerrard, as quoted by the Telegraph.
He did not venture to say exactly what role he would play. However, this seems as good a time as any to give him a start.
The big striker is a confidence player. Unfortunately, that’s something that’s severely lacking at the minute.
MORE RANGERS STORIES
Barren spell must end soon
It’s now 16 matches for club and country since Lafferty last found the net. That was way back in September against St Johnstone.
In fairness, most of his appearances have been from the substitutes bench, and he’s had his fair share of bad luck over that period.
Yet, he is paid to score goals and he needs to prove his worth or risk being moved on in the summer.
While he has never been truly prolific, his first stint at Ibrox and his time at Hearts prove that he can be a valuable asset in the Scottish Premiership.
He managed a considerable 19 goals for the Tynecastle outfit last season.
“There will be opportunities in the short, medium and long-term for him”, Gerrard later went on to say.
The first of those short-term chances may come tonight, against lowly fourth-tier opposition.
He’s certainly capable of making the game his own, lets hope he delivers if called upon.
