da dobrowin： Glasgow Rangers will be hoping to take confidence from their recent run of three Scottish Premiership victories in a row into the Europa League clash against Real Betis on Thursday evening.
da doce： The Gers have secured European football after Christmas, but it remains to be seen what competition they will feature in.
A win against Betis will ensure they remain in the Europa League, but anything less coupled with a Sparta Prague win over Aris Limassol will mean they drop into the Europa Conference League.
Philippe Clement will surely aim to win every match he takes charge of, yet he has some decisions to make, especially with a crucial League Cup final coming up against Aberdeen on Sunday.
With this in mind, he could make a few changes to his last starting XI in the 3-1 win over Dundee for the trip to Seville.
We at Football FanCast have predicted the lineup that Belgian could choose for the last group stage match of the campaign on Thursday evening, with two possible alterations from the weekend.
1 GK – Jack Butland
The ever-reliable Englishman has not missed a match this term and this seems unlikely to end anytime soon.
Butland has made some big saves during European ties against PSV Eindhoven and Sparta Prague this season and his performances domestically have arguably kept the Gers within touching distance of Celtic in the chase for the title.
With 13 clean sheets in 28 matches, the former Crystal Palace shot-stopper will be aiming for his 14th against the La Liga side.
2 RB – James Tavernier
The captain scored and grabbed an assist during the previous league match against Dundee on the weekend and he will be hoping to break his goalless run in the Europa League on Thursday.
The 32-year-old has yet to register a goal contribution during the group stage this season, but this could be a good omen. As during the run to the 2022 Europa League final, Tavernier failed to score during the group stage before finishing as the top scorer in the competition.
3 CB – Connor Goldson
The Englishman was rested by Clement during the clash against the Dens Park outfit on Saturday in preparation for the two upcoming matches.
That was just the third match Goldson has missed all season, yet the breather may have done him the world of good.
The 6 foot 3 titan could be unleashed against Betis and Aberdeen over the next four days, and he could be integral to Clement with his towering presence at the back.
4 CB – John Souttar
Leon Balogun was not included in the Europa League squad by Michael Beale and this means Souttar could be unleashed from the start on Thursday.
The Scot played the whole game against Dundee and, while he has missed a few ties this term due to a niggling injury, it appears as though he is back to full fitness just as the fixtures are coming thick and fast.
5 LB – Borna Barisic
Like Balogun, Ridvan Yilmaz was also left out of the aforementioned squad for the group stages and this looks like a bigger mistake with every passing game.
This means Barisic will start his fifth group stage clash of the season, although he has yet to register an assist during those matches.
With his contract expiring in a few months, the Croatian defender will need to impress Clement if he has any ambition of securing an extended deal.
6 CM – John Lundstram
The 29-year-old ace has returned to form this season and is fast becoming one of the few players Clement can depend on, as he has started every single match since the Belgian tactician took over.
He will be hoping to have another commanding performance in the middle of the pitch that gives the Light Blues the best chance of securing a victory and a chance to repeat their heroics from 2022 in the process.
7 CM – Jose Cifuentes
The midfielder hasn’t quite hit the ground running during his spell in Scotland yet, however, there is still time for him to establish himself in the centre of the pitch.
The Ecuadorian was sent off against Dundee and, despite the club appealing the decision, Cifuentes will now miss the League Cup final and the Premiership clash with St Johnstone.
This means Clement will unleash him alongside Lundstram, yet he will face a selection headache for the following two matches.
8 RW – Ross McCausland
The youngster was dropped to the bench during the 3-1 win over Dundee, but he came on for the second half.
Rabbi Matondo was the one who replaced him in the starting XI, yet the Welsh winger will drop to the bench for the European tie as Clement may look to keep him fresh for the final on Sunday.
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This gives McCausland a chance to shine once again in Europe, as it was on this stage that he netted his first goal for the club during the tie against Aris.
9 AM – Todd Cantwell
Since being taken off after just 36 minutes during the previous continental game, Cantwell has knuckled down and showcased his talents by being deployed in his more favoured number ten position.
The Englishman has found the back of the net just once during the current campaign and there would be no better week than this one for him to add a couple more.
10 LW – Abdallah Sima
The 22-year-old is another player who Clement can depend upon to be fit for every match as he has started every single match under the 49-year-old thus far.
Not only that, but the winger has scored four goals during that time and this has taken his tally to 13 for the entire campaign.
If he can add to this total during the next couple of matches, the Gers will stand a solid chance of winning both games.