Glasgow Rangers set up their second-leg clash against Benfica with everything to play for as the Gers secured a 2-2 draw in Lisbon.
Sandwiched between the two legs, however, is a Scottish Cup quarter-final clash against Hibs at Easter Road tomorrow.
Philippe Clement travelled to Portugal with some of his squad ruled out through injury, placing an importance on squad rotation ahead of the clash in Edinburgh.
The Light Blues secured glory in the first domestic cup competition this season, defeating Aberdeen 1-0 in the League Cup final back in December, and the Scottish Cup gives Clement another chance at claiming silverware.
The game takes place just four days before Benfica arrive at Ibrox, and this means a few players could drop out of the starting XI.
With this in mind, Football FanCast predicts that the 49-year-old Belgian will make three changes from the Benfica draw to his starting XI ahead of the early evening kick-off tomorrow…
1 GK – Jack Butland
The first name on the teamsheet. Butland made a stunning double save to deny Benfica on Thursday night and the goalkeeper has been in stunning form since arriving in Scotland last summer.
The Englishman has played 45 times throughout the 2023/24 campaign, keeping 22 clean sheets and conceding only 35 goals in all competitions.
Whatever success the club go on to have in the next couple of months will come down to whether Butland can maintain this impressive form, but the way he has been playing, this should not be a problem.
2 RB – James Tavernier
Much has been made of Tavernier’s attacking contributions this season – 21 goals and ten assists – but his defensive efforts often get overlooked.
Against Benfica, the defender made five clearances, one tackle and blocked one shot, and was solid during the clash.
Clement will look for him to try to get back in the act goalscoring-wise against Hibs, however, as the captain could propel the club into the semi-finals.
3 CB – Connor Goldson
The centre-back scored an own goal in midweek against the Portuguese side, yet he won three of his four total duels contested and lost possession only five times.
Several mistakes have crept into his game this season, and he appears to be prone to struggling with long balls over the top, as evidenced by Aberdeen’s goal against the Gers last month.
If he can cut these little mistakes out, Goldson will have a big part to play in the final few months of the season.
4 CB – John Souttar
Souttar conceded a penalty in midweek which saw Benfica equalise through Ángel Di María, yet his overall performance was solid.
The centre-back won 100% of the duels he contested along with losing possession just three times, and making four clearances throughout the game.
There is no doubt he should retain his place against Hibs, with only fatigue potentially proving to be an issue.
5 LB – Ridvan Yilmaz
The Turkish defender has taken over from Borna Barisic as the number-one choice at left-back, and his progression under Clement has been sensational.
Against Benfica, Yilmaz looked keen to join the attack whenever possible, succeeding with two of his four dribble attempts and taking one shot during the tie.
He will start once again tomorrow.
6 CM – John Lundstram
The midfielder has missed only one game since Clement joined the club back in mid-October and his form has also been excellent.
Lundstram has created five big chances, averaged 1.5 key passes per game and recovered 6.6 balls per game, as he has shown plenty of attacking intent in the Premiership this term.
Clement will keep him in the starting XI against the Edinburgh side tomorrow.
7 CM – Nicolas Raskin
The Belgian has endured a stop-start campaign in 2023/24, missing 18 games due to a variety of injury problems, and this has disrupted his first full season at Ibrox.
He came off the bench for a six-minute cameo in midweek, and given how busy the schedule is likely to get in the coming weeks, Clement may unleash him in the starting XI against the Easter Road side tomorrow.
8 RW – Ross McCausland
The young winger will replace Dujon Sterling on the right flank for tomorrow's clash in the capital. Hailed as a “superb talent” by journalist Josh Bunting, McCausland has been the main talking point this season as he has emerged as a first-team regular.
Two goals and three assists is a solid return for the youngster in the senior squad this term, and he will add some freshness to the attack against Hibs.
9 AM – Mohamed Diomande
The Ivorian will move into a more advanced role against Hibs, taking over from Tom Lawrence.
The Welshman scored against Benfica, but with the games coming thick and fast in the coming weeks, he could be kept fresh for the return leg next Thursday evening.
Since joining Rangers, Diomande has already scored twice, and his presence just behind the striker could cause the Hibs defence plenty of problems.
10 LW – Fabio Silva
With Oscar Cortes, Abdallah Sima and Rabbi Matondo all injured, Clement unleashed Silva on the left wing against Benfica, as he delivered a solid performance.
The youngster didn’t score, but he took 57 touches, delivered one accurate cross and attempted six dribbles as he gave everything during his display in his homeland.
This will give Clement the licence to unleash him yet again in a wide-left role, and hopefully, he can get on the scoresheet against Hibs.
