We’re just days away from competitive football returning to Ibrox and we’ve picked the strongest XI Rangers fans can expect
Rangers’ big Champions League opener is only five days away and the race is on for Russell Martin to get his new-look Light Blues up to speed.
With a £40million payday on the line, Gers can’t afford a costly misfire as they have in the past when they square up to Greek giants Panathinaikos.
But having had barely a month with the Ibrox squad and far less than that with most of his seven summer signings, some fans are worried about Rangers’ readiness for this key clash.
And their anxiety has been heightened with the news that one of their new recruits could be OUT of the clash with the Greeks after Thelo Aasgaard was crocked in the bounce game against Dunfermline Athletic.
Ahead of the UEFA deadline to name the squad for the second round qualifier against the Greeks – changes can be made for the next round should Gers progress – Record Sport takes a look at the likely line-up for next week’s crucial first-leg encounter in Glasgow – and the men who might miss out…
Goalkeeper
Jack Butland
The former England stopper was Rangers’ undisputed No1 this time last year after a fabulous first season at the club. But a dramatic drop off in form saw Liam Kelly handed the gloves for six games towards the end of the season.
Martin, however, says he’s seen signs of Butland’s confidence levels returning and the expectation is that he will be trusted to start the season between the sticks.
Right-back
James Tavernier
The skipper started the pre-season campaign filling in at centre-back against Club Brugge but the safe bet would be on him returning to his usual slot at on the right-hand side of defence. The Englishman turns 34 in October so it remains to be seen if he will see out the season on the flank given Martin’s requirements for his full-backs to bomb forward but with this huge test coming so early, his decade-long worth of experience at Ibrox will be vital.
Centre-backs
John Souttar and Nasser Djiga
The Ibrox faithful were left sweating on Scotland defender Souttar’s availability after it emerged he’d put off a hernia op over the close season in order to feature for Steve Clarke’s side in their end-of-season friendlies with Iceland and Luxembourg. But he’s rejoined Martin’s group in plenty of time to be fit for the Pana clash.
He was paired with new signing Nasser Djiga throughout last week’s camp at St George’s Park and it looks like they will be the centre-back partnership trusted to face the Greeks. Djiga will certainly bring some proper stature to the backline. Standing at 6ft 4ins, he rivals fellow new recruit Manny Fernandez in the height stakes but his Premier League experience at Wolves means the loan signing should get the nod over the former Peterborough giant.
Left back
Max Aarons
This might be one of the tighter calls for Martin to make. Ridvan Yilmaz only took part in light training last week in Burton as he recovered from a knock, meaning Aarons and Jefte were the ones battling it out for the final defensive slot. Aarons is naturally right-sided but with almost 100 appearances in the Premier League under his belt plus a handful for La Liga outfit Valencia last year, Martin might look to the Bournemouth loanee as a more reliable option than his Brazilian rival, who saw an encouraging start at Ibrox tail off last season.
Defensive midfield
Joe Rothwell
Martin have been keen to add some youthful energy to his team’s profile this year but the signing of Championship-winning Leeds midfielder Rothwell provides some grizzled experience in the heart of the engine room.
The 30-year-old’s ball carrying abilities will be key when there is space to be attacked. But the careful passing traits he displayed during his Elland Road promotion push last year will be just as important if Rangers are to avoid losing control of the midfield battle like the did so many times under Philippe Clement and Barry Ferguson.
If the training session the media were allowed to observe at St George’s Park last week is anything to go by, Rangers will work the ball through Rothwell as the much as they can as he is tasked with dictating play.
Central midfield
Nico Raskin and Mohamed Diomande
Little Red Devils ace Raskin and his sidekick from the Ivory Coast were Rangers’ main men in midfield last term, starring in big wins over Celtic and in Europe against the likes of Fenerbahce. But for every game they would dominate, there would be another where they’d be overrun by domestic rivals.
However, Martin has identified that with the central duo, less is more when it comes to running around putting in tackles.
He wants both Raskin and Diomande to leave most of the defensive work to Rothwell and the back four and instead concentrate their energies in the forward areas.
Right wing
Djeidi Gassama
Rangers were made to wait by Sheffield Wednesday before getting their hands on the 21-year-old winger but the likelihood is that he’ll be thrust straight into action next Tuesday. With Rangers short on threat from out wide following Vaclav Cerny’s exit, Martin will have to hope the former PSG kid can hit the ground running.
The good news is that he was able to hook up with his new team-mates even before completing his £2.2million move from Hillsborough as his Wednesday team where sharing the St George’s Park facilities with Gers last week.
Left wing
Nedim Bajrami
Russell Martin looks set to be dealt a major blow with Thelo Aasgaard picking up an injury in a bounce game against Dunfermline.
The new Norway international has been signed primarily with a view to him playing through the middle, however, with Gers so short on wide options, he would likely have had to have taken one for the team and played on the left.
That’s not too much of a stretch for the former Wigan and Luton sharp-shooter, who’s ability to take aim from distance will be handy as he peels off the left flank onto his deadly right foot.
But if he is unavailable, then who will Martin turn to? The likes of Nedim Bajrami, Kieran Dowell and kid Findlay Curtis have showed up well in pre-season so he has options.
Hamza Igamane would have been the obvious choice but he hasn’t featured in pre-season and there are doubts over his future so it probably isn’t a game for the Moroccan.
Bajrami seems the obvious choice to fill the void – the Albanian is another who prefers a central role but has played on the left, including in Europe, and has big game experience.
The 26-year-old famously scored for Albania after just 23 seconds against Italy at Euro 2024 – the fastest goal in the tournament’s history – and moved to Ibrox shortly after that and he showed flashes of quality, although maybe not quite enough to justify his £3.5million fee from Sassuolo.
But he showed his lightning quick nose for goal with his first strike for Rangers coming inside a minute in a 2-0 away Europa League win against Malmo – making history as he became the first Light Blues player to score so early in a European game since Rino Gattuso in 1998.
Striker
Danilo
If circumstances were ideal, Martin would be looking to start his reign with either last year’s 29-goal top scorer or the club’s £15million-rated Moroccan talent up front. But an ankle knock and visa delay has held up the return of Cyriel Dessers and Hamza Igamane, meaning the new Ibrox gaffer will likely have to put his faith in Brazilian frontman Danilo to provide the fire power that blasts Gers through to the third qualifying round. The good news is that the 26-year-old has been in decent nick through pre-season so far, with two goals and three assists in his three appearances. Panathinaikos will be a far tougher defence to unlock, though, and if Danilo doesn’t find the key at Ibrox, he knows he risks being dropped for the return clash in Athens on August 30.
Strongest Rangers XI
