Rangers have reignited hopes of a title challenge, and Philippe Clement will be determined to avoid a slip up against St Mirren.
After a lacklustre start to the campaign, hopes of an unlikely Premiership push grew after Celtic dropped points against Dundee United over the weekend – with the gap closing to nine points, and an Old Firm on the horizon at Ibrox to kick-off 2025. But before that is a hectic run, which sees Rangers‘ trip to Paisley followed by another away game against Motherwell on December 28 in what looks like a vital period of the campaign.
And boss Clement could face a dilemma at the heart of his midfield with Nicolas Raskin – man of the match against Tottenham in the Europa League earlier this month – just one booking away from a suspension after picking up five yellow cards this season. A sixth before the 19th game of the season would bring in an automatic one match suspension, leaving the influential Belgian stuck on the sidelines – with the threshold extended to 12 cautions for the season after matchday 19. That means Clement could be tempted to change his midfield slightly, and Connor Barron could be the man handed a recall.
After his injury in the Premier Sports Cup final , John Souttar remains out for the foreseeable – with utility man Dujon Sterling partnering Robin Propper in the win against Dundee, but Leon Balogun is a more natural fit there and it would sense to bring the veteran back in for the visit to Paisley against a strong St Mirren side. First choice keeper Jack Butland will be back between the sticks too – having missed the victory over Dundee after welcoming a baby on the day of the game.
Gers fans will be excited to see more of Hamza Igamane who has been vital in their turn in fortunes, whilst £6m signing Danilo is finally starting to show his worth with three goals in his last fourth outings. The duo have taken some of the pressure of Vaclav Cerny, with the Wolfsburg loanee having been a shining light throughout the campaign – even during barren spells for his teammates. And travelling fans might even get a rare glimpse of Oscar Cortes, on the bench in Saturday’s victory against Dundee having not featured since September.
Predicted Rangers XI
Provisional Rangers squad
Goalkeepers
Jack Butland
Liam Kelly
Lewis Budinauckas
Defenders
James Tavernier
Rıdvan Yılmaz
Robin Pröpper
Dujon Sterling
Jefté
Leon Balogun
Midfielders
Connor Barron
Mohamed Diomande
Nedim Bajrami
Kieran Dowell
Nicolas Raskin
Ianis Hagi
Vaclav Cerny
Ross McCausland
Oscar Cortes
Forwards
Cyriel Dessers
Danilo
Hamza Igamane