The starting XI against Aberdeen will have us guessing right up until it is announced with one position in particular causing consternation.
With Joe Aribo at the African Cup of Nations, Scott Arfield and Ryan Jack injured, who does Giovanni van Bronckhorst pick to play alongside Glen Kamara in the Rangers midfield?
There are four realistic options; Steven Davis, Juninho Bacuna, John Lundstram and James Sands.
First of all, we’ll rule out Sands due to the fact that he is, technically, in pre-season training with us right now and throwing him in from the start in a tricky away game probably isn’t the best option.
Davis has hardly played under Van Bronckhorst but his experience could be vital in such an important game, we saw against Dundee United that Kamara and Lundstram didn’t really work that well together, however, he just hasn’t hit the heights of last season in terms of form.
That leaves us with two; Lundstram and Bacuna.
Personally, I think Gio will go with Lundstram but it should be Bacuna that gets another chance. He’s only really had a couple of opportunities but has looked positive every time, he is also the player who is most similar to Arfield in that he always plays on the half-turn looking to drive forwards and create chances for others – like his veteran team-mate, he loves a shot from in and around the box too.
Bacuna and Kamara can both hands themselves physically plus they are excellent in possession, we have a lot of players missing but that is why we have a big squad, he may not have been involved much so far in his Rangers career but now is his time. I trust Van Bronckhorst to have a plan, let’s hope it’s a positive one.