Glasgow Rangers face arguably their most important match of the season so far at Ibrox tomorrow afternoon, with the third Old Firm derby of the 2023/24 season nearly upon us.
Celtic are a point ahead in the Premiership table, yet the Light Blues have a game in hand against Dundee next week, but a win at Ibrox tomorrow could give Philippe Clement and his men a massive psychological boost heading into the final seven games of the campaign.
Just in time for the climax to the season, it appears Clement’s injury woes are finally starting to dissipate, with several players soon becoming available for the title run in.
Rangers team news vs Celtic
The 50-year-old spoke to the media on Friday ahead of his second Old Firm derby in charge of the Gers, discussing the club’s injury news regarding Ridvan Yilmaz and Abdallah Sima in particular.
“Ridvan not sure yet, we will see tomorrow and make a decision,” said Clement during the press conference.
“Everyone else from last week is available. Sima is fit enough to start but could not play 90 minutes. I have a decision to make on when best he will have an impact.”
Player
Position
Robby McCrorie
GK
James Tavernier
RB
Connor Goldson
CB
John Souttar
CB
Ridvan Yilmaz
LB
John Lundstram
CM
Nico Raskin
CM
Ryan Jack
CM
Todd Cantwell
AM
Rabbi Matondo
ST
Fashion Sakala
ST
Having Yilmaz and Sima available for the match will be a huge boost for Clement and the squad, as the duo have been outstanding this season when called upon.
Borna Barisic deputised for the Turkish left-back last weekend in the 3-1 victory over Hibs, yet his performance in that game, combined with poor displays in previous Old Firm clashes, mean Clement should go with Yilmaz, even if he isn’t quite 100% fit…
Borna Barisic was poor against Hibs
The Croatian is out of contract at the end of the current season, with rumours circling that Trabzonspor are close to securing his signature at the end of the season.
The experienced defender has started just 14 Premiership matches this term for the Light Blues, but only four in 2024.
Against Hibs, the 31-year-old delivered a poor performance, proving how much Clement is relying on Yilmaz.
During his time on the pitch, Barisic won just two of his eight contested duels, lost possession 18 times, was dribbled past once and made only one tackle.
His defensive stats were poor, while his attacking ones weren’t much better, if truth be told. Normally excellent going forward, Barisic was accurate with just five of his 14 attempted crosses, completed two key passes, succeeded with just one successful dribble attempt, and created zero big chances for his side.
He was taken off with just over 20 minutes remaining, replaced by Ross McCausland. Barisic was also given a match rating of just 5/10 for his display by Glasgow World, showing just how poor he was at both ends of the pitch last weekend.
His recent history in the fixture has been pretty dismal too, indicating that while Clement may be taking a risk by unleashing Yilmaz, it could perhaps be the best decision he makes.
Ridvan Yilmaz’s season in numbers
The £12k-per-week sensation has emerged as one of Clement’s finest performers since the turn of the year, a far cry from where he was a year ago.
Upon his arrival at Rangers in the summer of 2022, Ross Wilson heaped plenty of praise on the youngster, saying: "Gio and I were clear in our desire to invest in a high-potential and high-quality left-back.
"We have now secured that in the signing of Ridvan Yilmaz.”
His maiden season was a topsy-turvy one to say the least, making just 15 appearances in all competitions as a series of injuries derailed any sort of consistency he managed to get going.
After scoring his first goal for the club against Livingston earlier this season, Yilmaz has gone from strength to strength. The 22-year-old has made 28 appearances so far, scoring twice and grabbing an assist, but it is his attacking qualities which have shone through.
In the Premiership, the left-back has not only created seven big chances, but also averages 1.7 key passes per game, succeeds with 1.3 dribbles per game and takes 0.8 shots per match, indicating how impressive he is bursting down the left wing during matches.
These statistics prove that Yilmaz must be the starting left-back against Celtic, otherwise Brendan Rodgers will make sure his players target Barisic throughout the game, which could prove decisive.
Ridvan Yilmaz’s last match against Celtic
The Turkish star missed the first Old Firm derby of the season through injury, which meant Dujon Sterling was given a baptism of fire as Barisic was also ruled out of the tie.
He started the second one in late December, however, playing the full 90 minutes at Parkhead in the eventual 2-1 defeat.
He acquitted himself well, winning four of his four ground duels during the match, making two tackles, three interceptions and two clearances, although he did lose possession 17 times, which was due to his constant charges up and down the left wing throughout the match.
Going forward, Yilmaz succeeded with 100% of his dribble attempts while delivering one successful cross, but he was powerless to prevent another derby defeat.
A lot has changed since then, with the Gers dropping points only once, in a 2-1 defeat to Motherwell last month, while Yilmaz is now firmly established as the first-choice left-back in the squad.
This match wont determine where the championship ends up, but a win for Rangers could deliver a significant blow to Celtic’s hopes, meaning they have to win the final Old Firm clash after the split.
Having Sima and potentially Yilmaz available could be the good news that Clement has been looking for over the previous few weeks. Both of them might not start together, as this could leave the Light Blues weak down the left-hand side, but hopefully at least one of them will be unleashed from the first whistle.
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Any win will do for Clement and his side. if every player steps up and performs how they have been of late, they will send Celtic back to Parkhead with a first Old Firm defeat of the season.