Rangers must drop Pena and start Candeias against Hibernian

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Rangers inched past Ross County on Saturday and now face Hibernian on Wednesday night.

Rangers interim manager Graeme Murty will have plenty of decisions to make to his starting line-up ahead of Wednesday night’s clash against Hibernian, following a somewhat disappointing performance against Ross County, despite grinding out a 2-1 win.

The Gers struggled to produce any kind of attacking flow throughout the match against Owen Coyle’s side, with The Staggies going 1-0 up in the first half through Craig Curran, only for Alfredo Morelos and Danny Wilson to turn the game on its head.

However, what will be a no-brainer to Murty will be dropping Mexico international Carlos Pena after the attacking powerhouse proved completely ineffectual against Coyle’s side.

The 27-year-old looked sluggish in the number 10 role and the Gers may as well have played with 10 men, as he looked a shadow of the player that impressed in the prior wins against Aberdeen.

Dropping Pena is a must, after Murty bravely hauled him off at half-time to be replaced by Morelos – a move that proved to be a tactical masterclass by the caretaker boss as the Colombian forward ended his goal drought 13 minutes later.

Murty does have a selection headache when looking to replace Pena, though. Both Josh Windass and Kenny Miller can play in the number 10 role, despite starting up front for the Gers under Murty.

Croatia international Niko Kranjcar is also waiting in the wings for an opportunity, but the creativity of Daniel Candeias should be utilised and given the chance to shine in a slightly different role to his normal position on the wing.

The Portuguese ace has continued to prove to be one of Pedro Caixinha’s rare success stories, scoring four goals and laying on seven assists for the Gers this season.

Although he started in a box-to-box role alongside Jason Holt, he should be pushed forward in the diamond formation to orchestrate the Rangers attack against Neil Lennon’s side.

Proving to be more than a creative influence in a Light Blue shirt, moving the 29-year-old into the attacking midfield role would be the key in securing three points and keeping the pressure on Celtic.