Rangers manager Steven Gerrard has said that his side are facing no new injury issues ahead of the game against Hearts at Ibrox on Wednesday.
However, he will be forced into team changes after both Alfredo Morelos and Andy Halliday were sent off. It could have been worse too, as Ryan Kent was lucky to get away with what looked like a punch on Celtic midfielder Scott Brown. The BBC has reported that he is likely to face retrospective action.
However, talking in his pre-match press conference ahead of the Premiership game against Hearts on Wednesday, Gerrard put all of his support behind the 22-year-old winger, whom he called ‘magnificent’ in the Old Firm clash.
And he said, “No fresh injury news, everyone is fine at the weekend.”
However, with Halliday suspended, Gerrard confirmed that left-back Borna Barisic was still out and that will cause a problem at the left-back position. Gerrard said his squad is “big enough” to manage this.
??SG: No fresh injury news, everyone is fine after the weekend.
— Rangers Football Club (@RangersFC) April 2, 2019
??SG: Missing two players at Left-back is a bit of a concern but we have a big enough squad to manage.
— Rangers Football Club (@RangersFC) April 2, 2019
OPINION
Having no fresh injuries is a blessing after two players will be missing through red card suspensions. And it could have been much worse, with Kent lucky not to have seen red too. Kent showed his best and his worst on Sunday. He’s consistently been one of Rangers’ best players this season and he was brilliant at Celtic Park on Sunday, almost winning his side an unlikely point with a brilliant goal in the second-half. But, there’s no excuse for what he did to Scott Brown. Brown was the arch-fool on Sunday, winding everyone up and grinning like a loon when they fell for it and got their marching orders. But, unfortunately, that’s part of the modern game and players have to rise above it. Kent would have been sent off if the officials had seen what he did and we can’t see any way that he escapes retrospective action. With Morelos out for four games and Halliday suspended (and Borna Barisic injured), Gerrard has one short-term problem at left-back and a longer one up top. Jermain Defoe is expected to come in for Morelos on Wednesday. Gerrard could well be missing Kent for a few games too.