Rangers receive Nasser Djiga boost as Gers make St Mirren u-turn
Rangers have given themselves a boost before the Old Firm clash with Celtic after the fate of their match against St Mirren was decided.
The Gers have gotten off to a woeful start in the Scottish Premiership, leaving manager Russell Martin already under pressure.
Martin slammed his Rangers team after facing Motherwell, and he did not see a reaction in the next league fixture as Dundee also draw 1-1 against the Gers.
Rangers though have impressed in the Champions League especially in a 3-0 first-leg victory over Viktoria Plzen, although they did suffer a surprise 2-1 away defeat in the second leg.
Key defender becomes available for Celtic encounter
Rangers had put in a request to postpone their next Premiership fixture at St Mirren to aid with preparations before the second leg of a Champions League play-off round, should they get there.
However, the Glasgow club have pulled that request as per The Record [12 August] and in doing so strengthened their defence before their clash with fierce rivals Celtic.
Nasser Djiga was sent off against Dundee and would have missed the home match against the Hoops had the St Mirren game been postponed.
Djiga though will now miss the trip to Paisley and be available to face Celtic, in a boost to Martin.
Martin could hand debut to summer arrival
Djiga has started every match for Rangers this season in the Champions League and Scottish Premiership alongside John Souttar.
| Games Started Together | 5 |
| Games Won | 2 |
| Games Drew | 3 |
| Games Lost | 0 |
Those two are currently Martin’s first-choice centre-backs and he needs to ensure he faces Celtic with the strongest squad available to him.
Rangers have not won on their past two trips to St Mirren, but the Buddies are not high goal scorers and the match is a chance for Martin to give new arrival Emmanuel Fernandez his debut.
Giving the 23-year-old his debut in the derby would have given Celtic the upper hand at Ibrox.
On the other hand, having to play the St Mirren match will be a physical encounter and could have an effect on Rangers’ Champions League tie, which will be against either RB Salzburg or Club Brugge.
Advancing to the main round of the Champions League is a must for Rangers to aid any late transfer dealings and boost their finances.