OPINION

Rangers were denied getting all three points against Hibernian on Wednesday as they only achieved a 1-1 draw and Steven Gerrard would have learnt a lot about his side.

The Gers boss was no doubt looking for players to step up during the game and prove their worth to him as his side are next in action against their arch-rivals Celtic on Saturday.

Gerrard knows Rangers fans will be eager to see their side overcome Celtic on Saturday and for that to happen, the Gers boss needs to ensure he fields the best team possible.

This Is Futbol has rounded up three things learned about Rangers after their draw with Hibernian which Gerrard needs to consider when picking his team to face Celtic.

Goldson’s injury deals Gerrard a headache

Connor Goldson took a knock at the end of the first-half and didn’t seem to recover. It was actually a surprise to see the centre-back play any part of the second half as he clearly had sustained some sort of injury problem that was causing him to struggle. Yet while the defender wasn’t forced directly off due to that knock, though he was eventually subbed, he clearly isn’t at a 100% ahead of of the very important clash with Celtic. Goldson seemed reluctant to come off and was determined to solider on against Hibernian, but that was very naive of him. Given that the 26-year-old is clearly not going to be fully fit for the clash with Celtic even though he managed to carry on despite not looking comfortable, Gerrard has been dealt a major headache ahead of the clash with Celtic. Goldson is clearly one of his best options at centre-back but he doesn’t want to have to rely on a player who is potentially trying to play through the pain as Celtic will target him.

Coulibaly’s passing must improve.

Lassana Coulibaly wasn’t awful against Hibernian by any accounts but he wasn’t exactly worthy of stealing the headlines. The 22-year-old midfielder was lively and tried to regularly get to the ball but his passing at times is frustrating to say the least. Coulibaly always plays like he is panicked and seems to act quickly with his passes rather than ensuring he plays an accurate pass. There were multiple times where Glenn Middleton was in space and crying out for the ball, but Coulibaly’s attempt to get a pass to him was so woeful it ended up seeing Hibernian gain possession. Gerrard needs to have a word with him ahead of Celtic as Brendan Rodger’s side will thrive on a player being so careless in possession.

McGregor’s form

Allan McGregor was in fine form against Hibs even if he wasn’t the busiest goalkeeper in the world on Wednesday. The Gers veteran made several important saves to ensure his side registered a decent result and Gerrard will be relieved by this.  There wasn’t much McGregor could do to deny Hibs getting an equaliser when they did. The 36-year-old is destined to be busier between the sticks when facing the Hoops on Saturday and seeing him being in fine form on Wednesday is a good sign that he will be at his very best when the Gers need him most. While Rangers should be aiming to limit Celtic’s chances against them on Saturday, it’s reassuring having a keeper capable of denying them to call upon if Rodgers’ side somehow get an opportunity to score.