Rangers have received a blow for the upcoming Premiership games with the news that Alfredo Morelos has been called into the Colombia squad.
In the last hour, an announcement was made by the Colombian FA, ahead of their games against Peru and Argentina, set to take place on Friday 28th January and Tuesday 1st February, respectively.
This means that Morelos will miss the fixtures against Livingston, Ross County and Celtic, with a race against time to get back and to be prepared for the home game against Hearts on Sunday 6th February.
📝 ➡️ Estos son los 2️⃣8️⃣ convocados por @ReinaldoRuedaDT para los partidos por las Clasificatorias a la Copa Mundial de la FIFA Catar 2022 🆚 🇵🇪 y 🇦🇷#VamosColombia 🇨🇴 pic.twitter.com/atcF313glM
— Selección Colombia (@FCFSeleccionCol) January 19, 2022
On Friday against Stirling Albion, there will be added focus on the roles of Fashion Sakala and Cedric Itten who now need to take on the responsibility in the absence of the Colombian.
Kemar Roofe should not be rushed, but hopefully he will come back into contention before the Old Firm clash. With that game in mind, there is a lot of merit to Sakala’s claim given the threat caused by his pace. With Celtic’s expansive and very open style, there will definitely be space to exploit.
This situation does not come as a surprise but all of a sudden there is an impression of momentum against Rangers.
The best response to that is by putting things right on the pitch with performances and results to match, starting on Friday against Stirling Albion.