OPINION
With Rangers having enjoyed a bright start to their season so far, they are set to head to Slovenia in a bid to continue their form and progress in the Europa League on Thursday (16 August).
The Light Blues will be taking on Maribor in the second leg of their qualifying clash, and although they might be feeling comfortable after a 3-1 win in the first leg at Ibrox, Steven Gerrard and his men cannot allow complacency to sink.
As seen so many times before, a two legged tie can change in the blink of an eye, and keeping up the high quality of performances is an absolute must if the Gers want to taste success – but who does Gerrard choose to do the job?
Well, the former Liverpool man has confirmed in a fitness update that he has a couple of decisions to make, stating to Rangers TV: “Ryan (Jack) is back in full training, so assuming he gets through today and tomorrow he will be available for selection.
“Scott (Arfield) was rested at the weekend. He had two or three weeks out with his knee and then came back and played two full games.
“Lassana (Coulibaly) has recovered quite well and we don’t think it is a big issue, it is maybe more down to fatigue.
“It is a big game Thursday and we will have to wait and see what he is like in the next 48 hours before we make a decision on him.”
With two midfielders returning, Gerrard appears as though he is tempted to leave 22-year-old enforcer Coulibaly out of action in a bid to give him the chance to recover fully from his layoff – but he has got to take the bold gamble of potentially aggravating his issue and put him out against Maribor.
No one in that Rangers side can provide the ball-winning talents that the Mali international can, and with him in the team, the Light Blues can be confident of nullifying the home side’s attacking threat.
While scoring an away goal would give them a big boost to qualifying, so would limiting the opposition’s goal scoring opportunities, and with Maribor knowing they have to score to win, they will be going all out to net the crucial goals.
Jack and Arfield are more creative in nature, and putting both out there certainly brings the Gers under pressure, especially with Borna Barisic and Jon Flanagan out of the defence.
If even just 80 per cent fit, Gerrard must roll the dice and give Coulibaly a start – or risk the consequences.