With two days to go until the first Old Firm of the season, Steven Gerrard appears to have his squad emerge unscathed from the international break, for now at least.
If anything, the break helped to get minutes into the legs of a few players that had been struggling and to keep others sharp without being over used, several key players were involved over the last fortnight and here’s how they got on.
Filip Helander returned early doors from Sweden after reporting with a slight knock but there hasn’t been anything to suggest that he will be forced to sit out against Celtic.
Borna Barisic had also looked like he could be on his way home, but after missing the first two games – including one against team-mate Cedric Itten – he played the full 90 minutes against France which would have been the perfect way to get back up to speed.
Ryan Jack had just returned to the Rangers XI and the two games plus a substitute appearance he made for Scotland will have been great for his match fitness ahead of the biggest game of 2020 so far.
Steven Davis has played a lot of football for club and country recently – which is a testament to how well he looks after himself – and given how important he is to how the gaffer sets up his team, seeing him return to Auchenhowie fit will be a great relief, it will also have been appreciated to see him sit out the last fixture of the international break until the last few minutes, keeping him fresh for Saturday.
Glen Kamara has been one of the busiest players but is also one of our fittest, depending on the tactics that Gerrard goes with though, his game time for Finland could see him miss out to Scott Arfield.
Should the international fixtures have been scrapped?
Yes
No
Ianis Hagi has been involved for Romania but only started one of his country’s games, similar to Alfredo Morelos, who came off the bench in both of his games, almost an ideal scenario for Rangers – the players continue to get international recognition without being over exerted.
The biggest worry will be how Morelos reacts to the travelling, it may be that he is asked to empty the tank against Celtic before being rewarded with a break during the week, what he and the Rangers support would give for a first Old Firm goal – especially if it was the winner.