Rangers have been handed a Europa League blow after Real Betis star William Carvalho declared himself fit for the clash on Thursday evening, according to a report.
The Light Blues and their La Liga opponents turn full circle this week as they get set to close out Group C in dramatic circumstances.
Rangers vs Real Betis was the opening encounter of the group back in September and former boss Michael Beale got off to a flier in the competition. Abdallah Sima was the hero that day as his second-half strike was enough to secure a superb 1-0 victory.
Things went a bit sour for Beale and for Rangers in the Europa League after that. The Englishman lost his job and Gers have stumbled twice against the group’s lowest ranked UEFA side Aris Limassol.
One point from a possible six was picked up against the Cypriots and it means Rangers face a decider with Betis in a few days to see who finishes top of the pile.
William Carvalho is back to face Rangers
Rangers thought they would have to achieve that without having to face experienced Portuguese central midfielder William Carvalho. But now, a report claims otherwise.
As per freelance journalist Mark Walker, Carvalho has announced he has made a miraculous recovery from a serious hamstring injury he sustained earlier in the season.
Initially, Carvalho was ruled out until after the new year but has sprung a surprise upon Real Betis and indeed Rangers – the Euro 2016 winner is now expected to play against Philippe Clement’s men in Seville.
Not all rosy for Real Betis ahead of Rangers clash
Despite Carvalho’s remarkable declaration, Real Betis are facing a number of injury problems which they could have done without before facing Rangers.
We reported on Monday how Betis will be without five of their key stars, so Rangers can take confidence from that news.
Chilean goalkeeper Claudio Bravo, Spanish centre-back Marc Bartra, Senegalese right-back Youssouf Sabaly, 2018 French World Cup winner Nabil Fekir and Argentine World Cup winner Guido Rodriguez are all set to miss the Europa League clash through suspension.
Clement will be pleased to hear this but on the flip side, he has a number of his own Rangers injuries to contend with anyway so in that respect, things are balanced out between both sides.
