Rangers play their first competitive fixture of 2019/20 this afternoon, in a 4.55pm kick-off.
The match is taking place at the Victoria Stadium in Gibraltar. It’s the home of St Joseph’s FC and the fixture is an important one – the first leg of the Europa League First Qualifying Round.
The Gers are overwhelming favourites to go through, with a much higher UEFA coefficient than the Gibraltarian minnows [Kassiesa].
Yet, Stevie G is taking this one seriously. After the Progres Niederkorn debacle of 2017, everyone knows just how costly it can be to underestimate opponents at this stage.
The manager didn’t quite have a full squad to choose from, though. Scott Arfield is missing after his Gold Cup exertions with Canada, Jon Flanagan is injured and Jamie Murphy is yet to return to full fitness.
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However, particularly after the sizeable number of signings the club has made so far during this window, the manager still had plenty of options at his disposal.
The big question was which, if any, of the new arrivals, would be involved from the start.
The answer was Jordan Jones and Sheyi Ojo. Steven Davis is also technically a newcomer after making his loan move from Southampton permanent. He also starts in central midfield.
Up front, Jermain Defoe gets the nod over Alfredo Morelos. James Tavernier captains the side, while Borna Barisic starts at left-back despite his previous struggles with artificial surfaces.
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