Rangers are heading into Thursday night’s Europa League tie against Polish side Jagiellonia with a significant injury list, as Philippe Clement looks to get his side’s European campaign back on track at Ibrox.
The Light Blues have five players confirmed out of the match, with a further player rated as doubtful ahead of the game. It is far from ideal preparation for a fixture that carries serious weight in the Europa League standings.
On the positive side, there are two familiar faces pushing for a return to the starting lineup, which will give supporters some reason for optimism ahead of what promises to be a tense night in Govan.
Rangers have been no strangers to injury problems this season, and the squad depth is once again being tested at a crucial stage of the European campaign. Clement will need to shuffle his options carefully and trust some of the fringe players to step up when it matters most.
Jagiellonia arrive in Glasgow having made a decent fist of their own European adventure this season. The Polish champions are no pushovers, and Rangers will need to be at their best to take all three points on home soil.
Ibrox has traditionally been a fortress in European football, with the atmosphere generated by the home support often proving to be the difference in tight knockout ties and group stage battles. Rangers will be banking on that backing once again on Thursday.
The two players pushing for returns will be monitored closely in the build-up to kick-off. Getting even one of them back into the fold could make a real difference to how Rangers set up and how much quality Clement can call upon from his bench if the game is tight late on.
With the Europa League representing Rangers’s biggest stage this season, every point is precious. A home win against Jagiellonia would do a lot to settle nerves among the support and give the squad a platform to push on in the competition.
Fans will be keeping a close eye on the official team news when it drops closer to kick-off, hoping the injury situation does not worsen between now and Thursday evening.
Typical Rangers luck innit, always seems to happen right before the big games. Hope they can pull it together though, Ibrox should give them a decent boost at least. Come on lads.