Villarreal have been rocked by the news that midfielder Manu Trigueros is set to miss their trip to Ibrox on Thursday night.
In what’s being billed up as a crunch Europa League match, three points are essential for both sides. The La Liga outfit will be looking to top the group with three points at Ibrox. Rangers, meanwhile, can put one foot in the last 32 with a win on Thursday night.
It wasn’t long ago that the Spaniards were provided with a huge triple injury boost. Carlos Bacca, Bruno Soriano, and Javi Fuego were recently announced as potentially all being fit for the game in Glasgow.
Despite that, however, they’ve been given an untimely set-back with the injury to Trigueros. The midfielder played half an hour of the 2-2 draw between the sides at El Madrigal back in September.
Trigueros has made a total of 16 appearances this season, and hasn’t scored a single goal in that period. He’s still a big player for Villarreal, but they’ll be confident of replacing him ahead of the match.
Not great form for the Spaniards
In terms of the La Liga giants’ form, they secured only their third win of the season last weekend. Javier Calleja’s men knocked off Real Betis 2-1 at El Madrigal. That’s the same Betis that secured a stunning 4-3 win at the Nou Camp just last two weeks ago.
Before beating Betis, Villarreal had gone eight domestic games without a win, with their form not improving at all since their draw with Rangers last time.
Of course, Rangers still have their injury concerns heading into this one also.
Ryan Kent and Borna Barisic continue to be monitored, and they were two big players for Gers in that opening Europa League fixture. Glenn Middleton will be the one to start, and he played a vital role in setting up Kyle Lafferty’s equaliser in Spain.
Andy Halliday, meanwhile, is sure to start with Barisic still out.
Rangers also have Lee Wallace, Jamie Murphy, and Graham Dorrans still sidelined in what’s becoming an easier injury list to manage.
