Rangers confirm starting XI v St Johnstone: Philippe Clement in bold Hamza Igamane call
12/01/2024 05:45 AM
Rangers have confirmed their starting XI for the Scottish Premiership clash with St Johnstone at McDiarmid Park.
The Ibrox side are preparing to face off against the Perthshire Saints with the pressure on Philippe Clement and his team to deliver after a run of poor form in the Scottish Premiership.
With Celtic extending their lead over Rangers 14 points following victory over Ross County, anything but a win will see the pressure rise on the Belgian manager.
But following the rampant 4-1 Europa League victory over OGC Nice in France, there's a heightened sense of optimism and Rangers must now build some momentum.
Here's how the Rangers XI shapes up for the early 12pm kick off against St Johnstone.
Rangers starting XI v St Johnstone
Rangers striker with goalkeeper Jack Butland between the sticks for the clash with St Johnstone.
The Ibrox stopper has been an ever-present this season and was back on inspired form in the thumping victory over Nice in France.
Rangers captain James Tavernier comes back into the team to replace Dujon Sterling, with Jefte continuing down the left-hand side.
Robin Propper continues at centre-back with form defender John Souttar keeping his spot alongside him as one of the first names on the Ibrox teamsheet.
Rangers midfield duo Nicolas Raskin and Connor Barron continue in the middle of the park, with Ianis Hagi taking up the 'number ten' role.
Rangers then continue with Nedim Bajrami and Vaclav Cerny on the flanks, with Moroccan striker Hamza Igamane starting up top after a double in France.
St Johnstone manager on Rangers
New St Johnstone manager Simo Valakari has also been discussing Rangers ahead of the Scottish Premiership clash at McDiarmid Park.
The Finnish gaffer has reacted to the Gers' 4-1 win over OGC Nice and also warned his players that they'll need to be at the top of their game to get a result.
"What I saw from the first minute from Rangers (against Nice) was a very determined team," Valakari said during his pre-match press conference. "(A team) who has been hurting because maybe they have not got the (domestic) results.
"They wanted to show they are a good team, they are good players and they put a performance on. But Sunday is a new game.
"For me to see them play and score those goals, it was not a surprise because you see the quality of the players and it has been maybe just a matter of time before they start collecting these goals.
"We cannot let opponents have big pressure on us all the time. We need to defend these moments but, at the same time, we need to take that pressure off.
"Is it keeping the ball a little better? Or putting doubt in the opponent's head that St Johnstone can really hurt you with fast guys? We need to be proactive and hurt the opponents. It was top-class defending from us (in last week's 1-0 win over Kilmarnock) and we need to do it again."
