Glasgow Rangers secured a confidence boosting victory in midweek, scoring four against Livingston as they secured their passage into the semi-finals of the League Cup
It means that Michael Beale has led the Gers to four wins in their four games since the international break, scoring eight goals and conceding none and this will hopefully be the catalyst which will allow the Light Blues to go on a solid run.
Aberdeen are the visitors to Ibrox this afternoon, and they also secured their place in the semi-finals of the cup in midweek and will be hoping to throw a spanner in the works and claim an unlikely win.
Beale will likely make a few changes to his starting XI in order to freshen his team up.
What’s the Rangers team news vs Aberdeen?
Beale spoke to the media and gave an injury update on a few of his players, including Kemar Roofe.
He said:
"Yeah he's away for a scan, so no news on that one at the minute. He didn't train today with the rest of the team.
"Until we get the news back from the scan we don't really know what we're dealing with. Obviously, it's disappointing for Kemar because he came back into the team and did so well until the other night. Let's hope it is nothing too serious and that he'll be available in the short term rather than the long term.”
Beale also added:
"Raskin is back with the rehab team. Dowell is back out in very light training.”
This means there will be some rotation across the front three.
One player the manager must keep faith in is Ben Davies, who has shone recently.
Will Ben Davies start vs Aberdeen?
Following the win over Real Betis in the Europa League last week, Rangers Review journalist Jonny McFarlane praised Davies for his display, saying: “Ben Davies and Connor Goldson were both excellent. Delighted for BD who's been on the end of some OTT criticism at times.”
The £27k-per-week brute did look like he was heading for the exit door during the dying embers of the transfer window, but he stayed, and the decision is looking like a good one.
Across his two Premiership appearances so far this term, the centre-back has an average Sofascore rating of 7.3 while also winning eight total duels per game – a success rate of 70% – and recovering 6.5 balls per game, showcasing his talents alongside Goldson at the heart of the defence.
Their partnership was forged during the second half of last season, and it looks as though this extended run over the previous four matches has allowed it to blossom at precisely the right time.
Keeping a clean sheet against an Aberdeen team with plenty to prove will be tough, but the confidence is surely flowing through the players after a nice winning run and this should carry them to another three points.
Davies must be unleashed next to Goldson yet again and if they play like they have done since the start of the month, they will keep their fifth clean sheet in as many matches.
