A transfer clause is set to benefit Rangers this weekend as Aberdeen will be without Ross McCrorie for Sunday’s crunch Premiership clash.
The two sides will do battle at Pittodrie with the Gers looking to extend their lead at the top of the table to 22 points ahead of Celtic’s fixture against Hibernian on Monday.
The Gers have triumphed in the two previous meetings between the clubs this season and will once again face an understrength opposition.
Ross McCrorie has played a big role for Aberdeen in all competitions and he features prominently in Derek McInnes’ plans for the future.
However, he won’t officially become a Dons player until the summer.
Aberdeen were unable to afford the £350k to buy McCrorie in August [Glasgow Live] and as a result, he’s currently only on loan from Rangers.
That ensures that the Gers still retain a degree of influence over the 22-year-old and he cannot play against his parent club.
The absence of a player who has started 18 of the 19 matches he’s been available for this season, means that that McInnes will need to shuffle the pack in midfield.
It’s also unclear whether or not he will feel that key winger Scott Wright is in the right frame of mind to start after he reportedly rejected a contract extension this week and can now enter into pre-contract negotiations with clubs interested in his signature [Evening Express].
Rangers will also be understrength for the game, with Kemar Roofe, Ryan Jack and Scott Arfield all set to miss out through injury, but Steven Gerrard will be confident he still has enough quality in his squad to secure the three points.
Ahead of the game, check out our Predicted XI.
