Rangers will be without Jose Cifuentes against Aberdeen this weekend after an appeal against his red card against Dundee was rejected.
Rangers beat Dundee 3-1 on Saturday afternoon, coming from behind to claim another Ibrox victory.
It wasn’t all good news though as Rangers saw midfielder Jose Cifuentes pick up a red card before half time.
The Ecuadorian has been finding his feet of late but left Rangers down to 10 men for the second half after VAR intervention.
Rangers appealed the decision in an attempt to have Cifuentes available against Aberdeen this weekend – but that won’t be happening.
Rangers receive Jose Cifuentes appeal verdict
As noted by Sky Sports, Rangers’ appeal has failed and Cifuentes will be suspended for Sunday’s Viaplay Cup final against Aberdeen.
Cifuentes will also miss Rangers’ next league game against St Johnstone with the appeal dismissed.
This is a big blow for Rangers with Philippe Clement already down multiple midfield options.
Nicolas Raskin and Ryan Jack remain on the treatment table and it’s unclear whether they be back in time for the Viaplay Cup final.
Neither were in the squad against Dundee on Saturday, suggesting that they aren’t expected back imminently.
That leaves Clement struggling to cobble together a midfield against Aberdeen – and it may mean Dujon Sterling steps up.
Dujon Sterling may face major midfield test
Clement turned to Sterling as a makeshift midfielder against Dundee, throwing him into an unfamiliar role following the Cifuentes red card.
Clement was very happy with how right back Sterling performed and promised to give him more chances going forward.
Well, it may well be that Sterling’s next chance comes with silverware on the line.
Clement doesn’t have many more midfield options at his disposal unless he turns to teenager Bailey Rice.
Throwing him into a cup final seems like a bold step, especially as he wasn’t even on the bench against Dundee.
Sterling appears to be the next best option for Clement and Rangers, meaning the summer signing from Chelsea will now face a major test of his capabilities as a midfielder.
When he signed for Rangers, Sterling cannot have expected to be lining up as a midfielder in a cup final, but it now looks like he will have to do a job for Clement and co with a trophy up for grabs.
