Barry Ferguson has told Giovanni van Bronckhorst to ditch any plans to rest star names for tomorrow’s Glasgow Derby.
Three days after a punishing night in Germany and four ahead of a Europa League semi-final second leg the Dutchman has a dilemma on his hands.
With Kemar Roofe, Alfredo Morelos, Ianis Hagi, Filip Helander, Leon Balogun and Aaron Ramsey missing van Bronckhorst doesn’t have many options to weight up.
Beyond the starting XI against Leipzig on Thursday night only Steve Davis, Scott Arfield and Fashion Sakala can be considered first team players.
There is next to no scope to change things in defence with the back four that folded against Celtic in February expected to line up tomorrow.
Another Celtic victory and title party is the last thing that Ferguson wants to witness as he explained to Daily Record readers:
There’s a chain of thought Gio van Bronckhorst might make wholesale changes for the trip to Parkhead on Sunday with the second leg of the Europa League semi final looming on Thursday.
But I don’t go along with it. If it were any other team in the country, then I’d get it.
But Celtic? With the prospect of them going nine points clear with three games left if Rangers get beaten? No chance.
Yes, there might be a couple of changes but while there is still the slightest chance of winning the league, I don’t think the Rangers manager can send out a weakened team.
What kind of signal would that send out? It would be like saying they’ve conceded defeat in the title race and with four games to go, you simply cannot do that.
Ferguson walked away from managing League One Alloa a month after losing to Celtic in the Scottish Cup.
