Glasgow Rangers face a tough clash against Kilmarnock this afternoon at Ibrox as the race for the Premiership crown goes on.
Killie defeated the Gers in the opening game of the season, while they pushed Philippe Clement’s men all the way in the last meeting between the two back in February, as the club had to rely on a goal from Tom Lawrence to secure a 2-1 comeback win.
All three points are required if the Light Blues want to go into the final Old Firm clash of the season with hopes of winning their 56th league title, but the starting XI could see some changes.
Why Dujon Sterling could be relocated against Killie
The versatile Englishman has featured in six different positions for the Gers this term, filling in wherever necessary as Clement has had to endure his fair share of injury issues.
Recently, the former Chelsea gem has been filling in at left-back due to Ridvan Yilmaz’s injury and the poor form of Borna Barisic.
This isn’t his natural position, but the 24-year-old has stood up and delivered solid performances.
Position
Games played
Left-back
7
Left midfield
1
Right-back
2
Right-winger
2
Central midfield
5
Right midfield
5
Against Killie, however, he will likely be moved to the left wing in order to accommodate Yilmaz, who could return to the starting XI this afternoon.
Ridvan Yilmaz’s statistics this season
During his pre-match press conference, Clement confirmed that Yilmaz was a “maybe” in terms of featuring in the match, but if he is ready to go, giving him some game time is a must.
The £12k-per-week dynamo showed plenty of quality when he usurped Barisic for the left-back position around the turn of the year, as the regular run of games allowed him to showcase his true talents at Ibrox.
The Belgian manager even hailed the youngster as a “fighter” back in March following his emergence as one of the club’s key players, and his statistics don’t lie.
Among his teammates, Yilmaz currently ranks third in the squad for big chances created (six) in the Premiership, along with ranking third for key passes per game (1.7), sixth for interceptions per game (0.8) and ninth for clearances per game (1), showing how impressive he has been across both attacking and defensive metrics this term.
While injury disrupted his debut season in Glasgow, he was going along rather well until suffering a hamstring issue when on international duty for Turkey in March.
Yilmaz at left-back and Sterling on the left wing could prove to be a solid combination which could see plenty of chances coming from that side of the pitch.
Much will depend on whether Clement feels the time is right for Yilmaz to come back into the squad, but it feels like an ideal time, especially with a clash against Celtic coming up next weekend.
With just five matches left of the current campaign, Rangers need to win them all and hope Celtic slip up in one of their other league fixtures to win the league title.
It isn’t impossible, but the club need to keep a clear head over the next few weeks.
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