Rangers pulled off a spectacular 3-1 win over Rapid Wien at home in the midweek Europa League fixture. With high spirits, the Gers will host Heart of Midlothian on Sunday in their next Scottish Premiership fixture. The game could be end to end, considering the start Hearts have had.
While Hearts have been pretty consistent and have dropped just two points in the league, Steven Gerrard’s men still have room for improvement after an inconsistent beginning.
With a tough test ahead of them, Rangers have to play to the best of their potential to win the upcoming fixture and make a statement following the loss to Livingston last weekend. The hosts are eight points behind their opponents but will be buoyed by the result in the Europa League.
Rangers Team News
Ryan Jack and Lee Wallace are out with their calf and groin injury respectively. Veteran defender Gareth McAuley is also out as he is struggling with his calf injury.
Predicted Rangers Lineup (4-3-3)
Defence
Allan McGregor was hardly tested on Thursday by Rapid Wien, but the custodian has been commendable between the sticks so far this season. Therefore, his position in the starting line-up is pretty secure.
Connor Goldson and Nikola Katic will be the preferred choice at the heart of the defence. Borna Barisic should feature on the left while James Tavernier will hope to make an impact in the right-back spot once again.
Midfield
Lassana Coulibaly and Andy Halliday should be given the nod in midfield. Coulibaly put in a strong performance in the Europa League fixture, and Gerrard will be hoping for something similar against Hearts. Halliday will have a more conservative role to play in front of the defence.
Ryan Kent is starting to make the left-wing spot his own, and in all fairness, he deserves to start one again as his pace and drive will be a threat to the Hearts defence. Daniel Candeias started the game against Wien but should keep his place on the right.
Attack
Kyle Lafferty and Alfredo Morelos could line up together in attack. Lafferty could be asked to drop deep from time to time to create that little bit of uncertainty in the Hearts defence, in case he starts.
