Glasgow Rangers return to Premiership action just three days after their dismal weekend defeat in the Highlands.
The Ibrox side were shocked by Ross County, who grabbed their first-ever win over the Light Blues, winning 3-2, and it was very much deserved.
The Gers looked off the pace from the word go, with their two goals coming via an own goal and a penalty.
Philippe Clement will certainly be making a few changes to his starting XI ahead of the rearranged match against Dundee this evening and, hopefully, the third attempt at playing this tie will go ahead successfully following two postponements.
Rangers team news vs Dundee
The Belgian manager gave an injury update surrounding his squad during his pre-match press conference on Tuesday, saying:
“I can change the team and it is always about choosing who is best for the games to come. It is important to manage the squad properly and take injuries into account.
“Ridvan Yilmaz and Mohamed Diomande won't be ready for tomorrow, Leon Balogun has been sick the past few days so he is not totally fit. It is about others stepping up when players are out.”
While Yilmaz’s injury was only supposed to be short-term, he is going to miss yet another match and this could give Clement a major selection headache, especially following Borna Barisic’s dismal showing against the Staggies on the weekend.
Borna Barsic’s game in numbers vs Ross County
The Croatian has just a few weeks left on his current contract and his performances recently certainly indicate that his future lies elsewhere.
Barisic has started just five Premiership matches in 2024 so far, deputising for Yilmaz in recent weeks, but has his showing in the Highlands deterred Clement from choosing him in the starting XI again?
Total duels won
3/3
Accurate passes
14/21
Key passes
3
Lost possession
9
Touches
38
He may have won 100% of his total duels, yet defensively, he was poor. During the match, the 31-year-old managed to complete just 14 of his 21 attempted passes, while taking only 38 touches.
The defender also lost possession nine times before being subbed off for Dujon Sterling, who arguably should have started the match on the left side of the defence in the first place.
His performance saw Barisic receive a rating of just 3/10 from Glasgow World, with journalist Lewis Anderson stating that the left-back ‘offered next to nothing in attack’ and was ‘very poor’ during his 54 minutes on the pitch.
The game this evening is a must-win if Rangers still have ambitions of winning the league trophy, which suggests Barisic must be dropped from the starting XI.
Dujon Sterling could be an alternative at left-back.
Against Celtic two weeks ago, Sterling was deployed as the left-back and performed fairly well during the 3-3 draw.
Not only did he look willing to get on the ball as evidenced by his 72 touches, but the former Chelsea starlet also made one key pass and was fouled six times as he looked to support the attack.
With Diomande missing this evening, however, Sterling may be best placed in the heart of the midfield, replacing Kieran Dowell, who failed to really make an impact when on the field of play.
Against the Staggies, Sterling made two key passes along with delivering four crosses into the box, showing a much greater sense of urgency than Barisic, but he should be offered a start in the middle of the pitch tonight.
The question is, who starts at left-back? Could there perhaps be an academy player who is ready to make the step up into the senior ranks and prove they deserve a place in the team for the rest of the season?
Perhaps Johnly Yfeko could be a perfect alternative to Barisic
Johnly Yfeko could be a future star
Without heaping too much pressure on the youngster, Yfeko has certainly shown plenty of promise during his spell in the academy since arriving at Ibrox back in 2022.
In his first full season with the B team, Yfeko made 14 appearances in the Lowland League, while also being called up to the senior squad on three occasions prior to the enforced break for the World Cup, as Giovanni Van Bronckhorst needed some cover at left-back following some injury problems.
It was under Michael Beale that he began to really showcase his potential, starting off in pre-season. The defender was given precious game time against Newcastle United and Hamburg, and it led to some praise from Beale after he impressed.
“Big Johnly Yfeko again is becoming the big surprise of preseason, making everybody smile.” Said Beale after his performance against the German side and gaining minutes for the first team looked like it was going to set him up nicely for the season ahead.
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The defender certainly didn’t have to wait long for his first competitive start for the Gers, making the starting lineup for a League Cup clash against Morton in August.
His display against the second tier outfit was excellent and proved that he could stand up to the rigours of senior football. Yfeko received a match rating of 7/10 from Glasgow Live journalist Alan Galindo for his mature display.
Galindo also wrote of the 20-year-old at the time: ‘Impressed in pre-season and has got his rewards here. A big tackle inside a minute and an even better last ditch challenge in added-time’.
Despite this 90-minute runout, he hasn’t made another appearance for the club since, making the matchday squad on three further occasions – including the two games against Benfica in the Europa League – but with the form that Yilmaz demonstrated, the youngster has been made to bide his time.
Could the clash against Dundee offer a potential opportunity for the former Leicester City starlet, with there seemingly no way he can be as bad as Barisic was against County on the weekend.
Time will tell and hopefully, he at least makes the matchday squad, as there is no doubt the left-back has plenty of promise.
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