Insider – Key Rangers star ruled out of Old Firm clash v Celtic in huge blow

Fri 9 March 2018 9:56, UK

Russell Martin will miss the Old Firm clash against Celtic at the weekend, according to a club insider.

The EstConsultancy Twitter account, a solid source of Rangers information, tweeted the news on Friday morning after a week of varying reports about his fitness.

It claims that Bruno Alves will have to “step up” in a game that could help define his summer at the World Cup finals.

Shame about Martin missing the weekends game. Bruno Alves must step up and show the qualities we all know he has shown in his career. Massive match which will go a little way to show if he will be at this years World Cup as well.
— EstConsultancy (@EstConsultancy) March 9, 2018

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Football Insider verdict:

There have been a number of reports about Martin’s fitness this week, with the stories flip-flopping daily. The Scottish Sun ran a story about him being a major doubt before deleting it and running a report stating that he was expected to make training on Thursday. The next report from the Scottish Sun said that he’d missed Thursday’s training, with the latest being that he was “clinging onto hope” that a back injury wouldn’t force him to miss the game. That hope looks to have gone now with this latest news, and it’s a big loss to Rangers. Alves is 36 and has been in and out of the side with injuries this season. He does have vast experience though and Murty will have to draw on that now in the absence of his first choice centre-back.

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