Glasgow Rangers will be hoping to book their ticket to the next round of the Europa League after securing a 3-1 win at Ibrox last week.
Rangers travel to Slovenia this week ahead of the second-leg of their Europa League third qualifying round tie on Thursday, with Steven Gerrard’s men looking to defend a 3-1 lead.
Goals from Alfredo Morelos, James Tavernier and Lassana Coulibaly have certainly put Rangers in the driving seat, but Gerrard will be desperate for his side to avoid all complacency ahead of the rematch with Darko Milanic’s men, who have won seven league titles over the last decade.
The Gers have made a very promising start to the season, with Gerrard yet to taste defeat since taking charge of the Scottish Premiership side. And thus, it would be a big surprise if there were too many changes from the team that beat St Mirren at the weekend.
One change that Rangers will have to make involves new signing Borna Barisic, who is ineligible for this tie following his arrival from Osijek. James Tavernier will surely come back into the team after starting on the bench at the weekend, with Jon Flanagan returning to the left-back spot that he has predominantly featured in since arriving.
Meanwhile, in midfield, there is a concern regarding Coulibaly after he had to be substituted in the latter stages of Sunday’s win due to a knock. If he is fit, he should certainly keep his place, but there may still be a change for Thursday.
Ross McCrorie was red carded against St Mirren. He will be available for this week, but perhaps Gerrard will take him out of the firing line and hand Andy Halliday a chance given the praise that the latter has just received from his manager.
The fact that McCrorie will not be available in the league for the time-being may tempt Gerrard to use him in Europe to help to try and keep the squad fresh, but Halliday could potentially be rewarded in the wake of his teammate’s dismissal.
With that in mind, here is a look at how Rangers may perhaps line up in Slovenia…
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