Rangers predicted XI to face St Johnstone
3 minute read 11/9/2021 | 10:10am Rangers will be aiming to extend their unbeaten run in all competitions to six games as they face St Johnstone in the Premiership this lunchtime. Steven Gerrard’s side have picked up four wins a...
Rangers will be aiming to extend their unbeaten run in all competitions to six games as they face St Johnstone in the Premiership this lunchtime.
Steven Gerrard’s side have picked up four wins and one draw from their last five matches, beating Dunfermline, Ross County, Alashkert and Celtic and drawing with the Armenian side in Europa League qualifying.
They now travel to face a St Johnstone team who have only lost once in their opening four league matches this season.
Will Rangers beat St Johnstone?
Yes
No
Will Gerrard make any changes to the team which won the Old Firm derby a fortnight ago? Here is our predicted XI for the clash with St Johnstone today…
We are predicting that he will make three changes to his team from the win over Celtic, with James Tavernier, John Lundstram and Fashion Sakala returning to the side.
Firstly, we are predicting that captain James Tavernier will return in place of Leon Balogun at right-back. The Gers skipper has returned to training after missing the Old Firm derby due to a viral infection and we believe that Gerrard will throw him straight back into the side.
We published an in-depth article regarding this prospective decision, summarising that the attacking threat the 29-year-old offers down the right could be crucial against a stubborn St Johnstone side.
The second change we are predicting sees midfield beast John Lundstram come in for Joe Aribo, who struggled against the Hoops. He gave the ball away a whopping 23 times and lost 14 of his 20 duels on the pitch, suggesting that he was unable to compete with the Hoops on a physical level.
This could open the door for Lundstram to walk into the team to start for the second time in the Premiership this season. He started in the 1-0 loss to Dundee United and only gave possession away five times whilst winning two of his four duels. Therefore, he could be a solid option to come in for Aribo, as he is less liable to hand the ball back to the opposition.
Finally, we are predicting that Fashion Sakala will come into the side in place of Alfredo Morelos. The Colombia international ended up staying at Ibrox, but admitted in the build-up to the window’s closure that he was hopeful of landing a big transfer.
He has one goal in three Premiership starts this term and endured a tough match against Celtic. He lost 10 of his 15 duels and failed to register a shot on target, whilst also only completing 71% of his passes. This could indicate that his performance was perhaps affected by the transfer speculation, with one eye on a move away from the club.
Therefore, Sakala should be handed the chance to show that he can be the heir to Morelos’ throne in the number nine position at Rangers. An impressive performance from the Zambian could then motivate the 25-year-old to up his game and win his place back in the side in order to attract interest in his services ahead of the January window.
We are predicting that the rest of the team will remain the same from the win over the Hoops.
AND in other news, Gerrard could beat St Johnstone by unleashing “unstoppable” Rangers gem…
