Glasgow Rangers face a quick turnaround from their midweek victory at Ibrox over Ross County as they travel to Perth to face St Johnstone in the Premiership this afternoon.
Philippe Clement’s side have yet to drop points in the league this year and the momentum is certainly with the Gers as they look to secure a first title since the 2020/21 campaign.
With the fixtures coming thick and fast, the Belgian manager may look to make a change or two to his starting XI to take on the Saints.
Rangers team news vs St Johnstone
The 49-year-old coach spoke to the media prior to the match today as he gave an update on the squad, saying:
“Rabbi (Matondo) has a small muscle issue, why he was changed at HT. He had a scan and will miss this game, I think he will be back short-term.”
Aside from this, there are no new injury issues thankfully, but that won't mean Clement will rest on his laurels ahead of what could be a tricky test in Perth.
Tom Lawrence started the tie against Ross County and was impressive, yet his recent injury issues indicate that he should be dropped to the bench given the sharp turnaround in games and this could see a first Premiership start for Mohamed Diomande.
Mohamed Diomande could be ideal for John Lundstram
Against County in midweek, Lundstram dropped slightly deeper and allowed Lawrence freedom to roam, culminating in the Welshman succeeding with 100% of his dribble attempts, taking six shots and making two key passes during the tie.
Diomande could provide a similar attacking output should he start against the Saints. The 22-year-old arrived off the bench against the Staggies and completed 100% of his passes, made one key pass and took 14 touches.
The 6 foot maestro could benefit from playing the full 90 minutes as he works his way back up to match fitness and his statistics during the opening half of the season for FC Nordsjaelland.
Indeed, the “aggressive” midfielder – as so dubbed by analyst John Walker when profiling him last month – created three big chances and averaged 1.1 key passes per game in the Danish top flight, while his passing was also impressive, averaging an 89% pass success rate per game.
These statistics were clearly enough to see Clement make a move to bring him to Ibrox and, although it will take a few weeks for him to get up to speed with Scottish football, initial signs are promising.
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With a plethora of options to choose from with regard to who partners Lundstram in the midfield, it is certainly a nice problem for Clement to have and this could see him rotate players on a regular basis.
A trip to Perth is never easy, but it will be a good match for Diomande to be thrown into and, with the experience of Lundstram alongside him, there is no doubt the Ivorian can perform well.
Three points is all that matters for the Ibrox side as they look to keep up with Celtic at the summit of the league.
