Predicted Rangers XI to face Hearts | OneFootball

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Football FanCast

·16 October 2021

Predicted Rangers XI to face Hearts

Article image:Predicted Rangers XI to face Hearts

Steven Gerrard’s Rangers face off against Hearts at Ibrox today in a huge clash at the top of the Premiership table.

A win for the home side would see them move four points clear at the top, whilst a defeat would see them drop down to second with the Jam Tarts overtaking them.


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The Gers beat third-placed Hibernian 2-1 prior to the international break, as Kemar Roofe and Alfredo Morelos’ second half goals secured the three points.

Will Rangers beat Hearts?

How many changes will Gerrard make to the team from that victory? Here is our predicted XI…

Article image:Predicted Rangers XI to face Hearts

We are predicting that he will make three changes to the side from the win over Hibs, with Jon McLaughlin, James Tavernier and Kemar Roofe all returning.

Firstly, we believe that McLaughlin will line up between the sticks. We published an article explaining why veteran shot-stopper Allan McGregor must be axed by Gerrard for this clash, and the former Liverpool captain could heed that advice and go with the 34-year-old today.

At right-back, captain Tavernier could return in place of Nathan Patterson. The teenage defender provided an assist against Hibernian and recorded a SofaScore rating of 7.6, which is why this is a difficult call to make. However, the experience (more than 300 appearances for Rangers) and leadership of Tavernier in a crunch game like this could be crucial for the Gers.

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Article image:Predicted Rangers XI to face Hearts

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In midfield, Joe Aribo, Glen Kamara and John Lundstram could retain their places in the middle of the park. We published a piece detailing Steven Davis’ woes for Northern Ireland on international duty, which is why he could be watching on from the bench for today’s clash.

Finally, Roofe could come in for Scott Wright to line up on the left of the front three, with Morelos through the middle and Ianis Hagi out on the right. The former Leeds striker came off the bench and scored against Hibernian and we previously discussed why he deserves to start.

Wright and Hagi both caught the eye against Hibs and it is not an easy call on who to drop out of the pair. However, the latter created five chances in comparison to Wright’s four and that gives him the edge for this match, with the Romanian keeping his place in the side.

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