Rangers predicted XI tonight: Steven Gerrard drops £3.5m man, 8-assist ace brought back

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Glasgow Rangers are back in Europa League action tonight, Steven Gerrard’s charges hoping to bring another three points back to Ibrox and make it three wins out of three in the competition.

However, the Gers have a big mission on their hands, namely looking to end Benfica’s remarkable run of 23 consecutive home wins.

In addition, Gerrard has a fairly congested fixture schedule to deal with, so he’s likely to make changes for tonight’s game, but with so much strength in depth, this isn’t a cause for concern.

So, who could be in the Rangers starting XI for their Group D clash in Portugal tonight?

Allan McGregor is likely to remain in goal, while the back four could remain mostly unchanged, with Borna Barisic, Connor Goldson and James Tavernier keeping their places from the Kilmarnock win.

With Filip Helander preferred in Premiership games of late and Leon Balogun featuring in European matches, we predict Gerrard could swap the £3.5million Swede for the Ibrox summer signing in the XI.

Onto the midfield – Benfica are likely to have the lion’s share of possession, so Rangers may be best served looking to hit the hosts on the counter, and the best combination for this would be Ryan Jack, Scott Arfield and Glen Kamara.

Further up, Ryan Kent and Alfredo Morelos should retain their spots from the Killie trip, while Ianis Hagi, with his creativity and impressive assist tally – eight this season – could replace Cedric Itten.

Rangers predicted XI (4-3-3): McGregor; Tavernier, Goldson, Balogun, Barisic; Jack, Arfield, Kamara; Hagi, Morelos, Kent