Rangers take on Slavia Prague in a Europa League Last 16 first-leg tie at the Sinobo Stadium on Thursday evening.
It should be an excellent contest between two sides who have dominated their respective domestic leagues this season.
Slavia dumped out high-flying Premier League club Leicester City in the last round and are in very good form, but the Gers will still feel that this is a kinder draw than Bayer Leverkusen was last season and Steven Gerrard will be determined to reach the quarter-finals for the first time as a manager.
Ahead of the clash in the Czech capital, there was a positive update on Kemar Roofe, who is back available following a muscle problem.
However, Ryan Jack isn’t quite fit enough to feature in the first leg and skipper James Tavernier will miss the tie altogether with a knee injury.
Those are two big blows but the manager still has enough quality at his disposal to name a strong starting XI.
We expect Allan McGregor to retain his place in goal and for the back four to remain the same, with Filip Helander partnering Connor Goldson at centre-back, while Nathan Patterson and Borna Barisic occupy the full-back berths.
In midfield, Steven Davis and Glen Kamara, who has been a near-ever present in the Europa League this season, are set to continue, but we are expecting one change.
Scott Arfield has started five of Rangers’ six away assignments in Europe this season and it’s likely that he will return to the XI to provide extra energy and combativeness in the middle of the park.
A return for the Canada international could push Joe Aribo further forward and see Ianis Hagi drop to the bench, while Ryan Kent is likely to start on the left with the in-form Alfredo Morelos leading the line.
Rangers Predicted XI vs Slavia Prague (A) – 11/03/2021:
If the Gers do see off Slavia over two legs and progress to the next round, they will receive a substantial cash reward from UEFA.
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