Glasgow Rangers are flying at the minute, winning nine out of ten matches under Michael Beale as the Ibrox giants seek to embark on a new era under the Englishman.
The Premiership crown may look out of touch considering the nine-point deficit to their Glasgow arch-rivals at the top of the table.
However, with a League Cup final to come and a chance to retain the Scottish Cup, Beale will no doubt be targeting two trophies over the coming months.
The Light Blues’ last match, a 3-0 win against Hearts in midweek was arguably their finest performance under the 42-year-old, and it looks as though the squad are buying into his methods and tactical tweaks.
A home clash against Ross County awaits this afternoon, and we at Football FanCast predict the starting XI that Beale will select to take to the field at Ibrox later today…
Rangers predicted XI – McGregor; Tavernier, Goldson, Davies, Barisic; Lundstram, Kamara; Cantwell, Tillman, Kent; Morelos.
The goalkeeping position has been one of constant change this season, with the baton being passed between Allan McGregor and Jon McLaughlin on a regular basis. Today, the former will likely retain his position following his clean sheet against Hearts.
The back four will also remain unchanged. James Tavernier and Borna Barisic take up their usual roles on the right and left of defence respectively, with Connor Goldson and Ben Davies forming a solid defensive duo. The latter impressed against Hearts, making four clearances and three interceptions, and he now looks up to speed at Ibrox.
The midfield axis will consist of John Lundstram and a much-improved Glen Kamara, who excelled in midweek. The midfielder made two key passes, had a 92% pass success rate and took 71 touches as Beale has managed to rejuvenate the player, who also gave a strong performance against St Johnstone last week.
Ryan Kent retains his place on the left wing, although Fashion Sakala could drop to the bench, with the £8.3k-per-week gem vacating his attacking midfield slot to Malik Tillman. This will allow January signing Todd Cantwell to come back into the starting line-up on the right-hand side.
The 24-year-old was “superb” against Hearts according to Jordan Campbell – fair praise given that he completed 18 passes in just 25 minutes on the field – and it will be interesting to see how he builds on that showing today.
Fresh from a two-goal salvo and a stunning performance in midweek, Alfredo Morelos keeps his place today, and Beale will be hoping that the 26-year-old can maintain this recent fine form, with four goals in his last three matches.
The challenge for Rangers is to put in a performance as convincing as they did at Tynecastle three days ago, while adding a few goals to go along with it.