Three Rangers fringe players who must start vs St Mirren as Danny Rohl prepares for Old Firm Derby
Rangers are set for another crucial Premiership clash as they prepare to welcome St Mirren on Tuesday night.
Danny Rohl’s men are desperately trying to force their way into the title race, as they currently sit nine points behind leaders Hearts at the top of the Premiership table.
Thelo Aasgaard scored the winner for Rangers as they beat Motherwell 1-0 last weekend, but the difficult tests simply do not stop coming for the Glasgow giants.
St Mirren represent a potential banana skin in midweek, but with the small matter of an Old Firm Derby on the horizon at the weekend, Rohl must be extremely careful with his team selection.
He will want his strongest possible XI out to face Celtic, and with that in mind, Football Insider picks out three fringe players who should be in from the off against St Mirren.
John Souttar
John Souttar is one of Rangers’ most important players, but injury has forced him to the periphery of the squad in recent weeks.
The centre-back has played just three minutes of action since early November, and those came in the latter stages of the win at Ibrox last weekend.
The 29-year-old’s absence has made Dujon Sterling’s return to fitness all the more timely, but Souttar himself may now face a race against the clock to be fit for the Old Firm.
Rohl will want the Scotland international available to start at Parkhead if at all possible, and with that in mind, he will surely be inclined to try and hand him a start on Tuesday.
Souttar needs to get minutes in his legs, and even if he only manages an hour in midweek, then it could be enough to have him ready to play a part at the weekend.
Lyall Cameron
Lyall Cameron’s future at Rangers is under scrutiny ahead of the January transfer window, but now could be the perfect moment for Rohl to hand him his chance to impress.
The former Dundee man looked bright in the early stages of the season following his move, but he has since become little more than a squad player in his debut campaign at Ibrox.
Cameron hasn’t started a game since the drubbing away at Club Brugge in Champions League qualifying at the end of August, but the clash against St Mirren may well change that.
Nicolas Raskin has played plenty of football of late, and Rohl will want him as fresh as possible for the Celtic encounter.
Cameron has been working hard for an opportunity to impress at Rangers, and that hunger could easily tempt Rohl into handing him a shirt in midweek.
Findlay Curtis
Rangers fans have been desperate to see more of Findlay Curtis after some impactful displays at the start of the campaign, but they have been limited to just a few minor glimpses of the starlet.
The winger has had to wait patiently for his opportunities to impress, and a home clash against a team in the lower reaches of the table could provide the perfect moment for him.
Rohl will want to avoid giving heavy minutes to either of Djeidi Gassama or Mikey Moore, with both likely to start the weekend’s derby, and Curtis is surely the next cab off the rank in the wide areas.
The academy graduate quickly made a name for himself with a screamer against Panathinaikos in the summer, and he is due another opportunity to shine under the Ibrox lights.