Rangers take on Villarreal at Ibrox on Thursday night.
Rangers manager Steven Gerrard has told the club’s official YouTube channel that Borna Barisic and Ryan Kent will miss out when Villarreal visit Ibrox on Thursday.
The Gers beat Livingston 3-0 on Saturday afternoon to make it two wins in a row since their disastrous 4-3 defeat to Spartak Moscow in Russia earlier this month.
Rangers are now back in Europa League action for the first time since that defeat on Thursday, with Villarreal heading to Ibrox for the penultimate game of the Europa League group stage.
Rangers earned a 2-2 draw at Villarreal to open the campaign, and will now be looking to avoid defeat on Thursday to keep their hopes of qualification alive.
Rangers fans will be hoping for a full-strength team, but Gerrard has confirmed that two players – Borna Barisic and Ryan Kent – will both miss out on Thursday night.
“It’s still slightly too soon for Borna, although he has trained for the last two days, but I think with him missing a month of football, it’s too soon,” said Gerrard. “Ryan Kent is due to be back in full training just after the weekend,” he added.
Left back Barisic hasn’t played since the defeat to Livingston in September, and Rangers will be desperate to get the Croatian back full fit sooner rather than later.
Meanwhile, winger Kent missed the trip to Spartak with a hamstring injury, and is now set to miss out again tomorrow, but Gerrard’s news on the duo was at least positive.
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