Nsiala To Start? | Predicted 4-3-3 Rangers Lineup To Face Ross County | OneFootball

A thrilling win against Royale Union Saint-Gilloise saw Rangers secure a place in the Europa League Round of 16. They finished 8th after the group stage thus avoiding knockout phase playoffs over the next few weeks. While the struggle continues in the Scottish Premiership due to form and fitness reasons, the Light Blues must secure all three points against Ross County on Sunday afternoon.

The Staggies, stuck in the wrong end of the league standings, have already been beaten twice by Rangers so far this season. Their previous home clash finished 6-0 in favour of the Gers at Hampden Park back in August and the visitors, therefore, would be under immense pressure before travelling to Glasgow.

Predicted 4-3-3 Rangers Lineup To Face Ross County

Defence

Jack Butland has regained his ‘number 1’ status after a brief injury layoff. The Englishman must keep his place this weekend ahead of Liam Kelly.

Despite roping in Rafael Fernandes on loan from Lille, the crisis continues in the defensive third. Leon King was forced to leave the pitch against USG following a knock in his head early into the contest, and the youngster will now be unavailable alongside Leon Balogun, Neraysho Kasanwirjo, John Souttar and Dujon Sterling. Clinton Nsiala has stepped in amid several injury absences, and the 21-year-old Frenchman deserves another start in deep defence. Robin Propper remains the only senior centre-back available for selection. Meanwhile, the right fullback role belongs to James Tavernier regardless of his inspiring performance on Thursday night as a makeshift centre-half. Jefte, too, is irreplaceable down the left as he offers a perfect balance between attack and defence.

GLASGOW, SCOTLAND – JANUARY 30: Nicolas Raskin of Rangers FC celebrates scoring his team’s first goal during the UEFA Europa League 2024/25 League Phase MD8 match between Rangers FC and R. Union Saint-Gilloise at Ibrox Stadium on January 30, 2025 in Glasgow, Scotland. (Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)

Midfield

After a slow start to the campaign, Nicolas Raskin is driving the midfield game with his composure and technical traits. He must orchestrate the show as a deep-lying playmaker and his presence at the base would unleash Mohamed Diomande and Nedim Bajrami to make box-to-box runs. The flexibility of the midfield trio enables the gaffer to tweak his formation to 4-2-3-1 as per the game’s demands. Rangers, however, do not have many alternatives in the middle of the park considering Connor Barron’s injury and Tom Lawrence’s lack of match fitness with persistent issues.

Vaclav Cerny returned to action after a brief injury layoff and took less than an hour to find the net which proved to be decider. The Czech wideman should feature from the right with incredible Hamza Igamane likely to occupy the left-hand flank. Cyriel Dessers is back in form and is expected to spearhead the attack, however, Igamane and Dessers might eventually operate as the striking pair allowing Cerny to shift slightly deeper as a right midfielder. Ianis Hagi and Ross McCausland should be involved as second-half substitutes to inject more firepower high up the pitch.