Could be on a hiding, trounced- Kris Boyd’s Glasgow Derby warning to van Bronckhorst

Kris Boyd fears that his old club could be on a hiding or get trounced by Celtic on Sunday if they rest too many of their Europa League heroes. 

Sunday’s match comes between clashes with RB Leipzig that will decide whether or not Giovanni van Bronckhorst takes his side to Seville next month to contest a UEFA Final. 

Last night in Germany the Ibrox side were unable to field a recognised striker due to injuries to Kemar Roofe and Alfredo Morelos. 

Central defenders Filip Helander and Leon Balogun won’t be in the squad to face Celtic with the Dutchman running short of tried and tested options for a fixture that could settle the SPFL Premiership title. 

Boyd is likely to be on duty for Sky Sports and shared his fears for the match with readers of The Sun: 

Make no mistake, reaching the final has to be the priority for Rangers right now. 

However, on the flip side, you certainly don’t want to be hosting the Germans on the back of a hiding in the ‘Glasgow Derby’. 

And that could happen if Gers boss Van Bronckhorst goes in with a weakened team against Celtic. 

Keeping his key players fresh is all well and good in theory but it could have a detrimental effect for Thursday if Rangers get trounced tomorrow. 

All that positivity from reaching the Scottish Cup final and going so well in Europe could evaporate. This is certainly an Old Firm clash Rangers could be doing without. 

Looking at the realistic changes open to van Bronckhorst, Boyd added: 

There might be three or four and I would expect to see Steven Davis, Fashion Sakala and Scott Arfield to come in. Those guys are not a massive downgrade from the men who started in Germany. 

With one eye on Leipzig, the one player I would seriously think about leaving out is Ryan Kent. With striker Kemar Roofe and midfielder Aaron Ramsey still major injury doubts, Kent is the one man Rangers need against RB. 

I would not be surprised in the least to see Van Bronckhorst go with Sakala on the left and give Kent a rest for Thursday night. 

Having won the last two SPFL derbies Celtic go into Sunday’s match with a six point advantage with just four matches left to play.