Philippe Clement will be glad that he doesn’t need to get a result against Union Saint Gilloise to qualify for the next round of the Europa League, given the players that are at his disposal.
A shortage of defenders and wingers will see him turn to the academy or put square pegs in round holes, not that the manager isn’t used to doing the latter.
Clement will still be confident of victory though, having seen a patchwork Rangers squad go toe-to-toe with Man Utd only a week ago.
USG midfielder confident of win against Rangers
Someone else who is confident is the Belgian outfit’s 20-year old midfielder Kamiel van de Perre, who, according to The Rangers Review, doesn’t fear anyone:
“It’s been a dream for me recently. I have started games in the league and in the Europa League and hopefully, I can play at Rangers too,” said the in-form playmaker.
“I am really enjoying it at the moment and the team are playing well. We feel we can beat anyone just now.”
USG have beaten Nice 2-1, lost to Midtjylland and drew with Roma in their seven fixtures so far, they also have an identical; won three, drawn two and lost two record, although the Light Blues have scored double the Belgian’s seven goals.
The path to the top eight is a complicated one, but Rangers have a chance.
Why USG might give Rangers a helping hand at Ibrox
At Ibrox, Rangers can beat anyone, even if the atmosphere might not be as raucous as usual given the opposition and the lack of peril.
If Clement’s selection will be dictated by availability, USG’s might be more pragmatic.
They too are safe and have qualified for the play-off round, but they have a much more competitive league race on their hands as they hang onto third place by a thread ahead of the Belgian Pro League championship split.
Rangers have Ross County at home next and will have a few extra bodies back which is when Clement might rotate, for USG, players like Van De Perre might have to make do with a watching brief.
