Journalist Stephen McGowan has been speaking on The Press Box podcast about Alfredo Morelos and whether or not he should start for Rangers in midweek.
It was a disastrous first leg of Rangers’ European adventure last week as they fell to a 2-0 defeat away from home against Union Saint-Gilloise, which has left them with a mountain to climb in the return leg at Ibrox.
Rangers and their fans will have to ensure that Ibrox becomes a cauldron of noise that will see Saint-Gilloise have a rough evening in Glasgow if they are to stand a chance of progressing, but someone else could give them the upper hand.
McGowan believes that Morelos should start for Rangers despite his recent lay-off with injury and severe lack of first-team minutes.
He said: “For me, the talisman is still Alfredo Morelos. But the question there is, only 30 minutes after five months on the sidelines, can you gamble on him from the start to get the fans up for it and risk his fitness, or do you bring him on later?
Should Morelos start vs Saint-Gilloise?
Yes!
No!
“I thought after the game, Van Bronckhorst sounded like he was erring on the side of caution. For me, personally, I would get him in the team, get the fans up for it and see if Ibrox can scare the life out of this team, because Rangers need a minor miracle.”
TIF Thoughts on Alfredo Morelos…
It certainly is a tough decision for Van Bronckhorst because it’s a very long season, and rushing Morelos back too early could see him require more time out of the side and in the treatment room, however, the stakes are very high.
If Rangers fail to overcome the two-goal deficit then they will be dumped out of the Champions League reckoning, something that would be a major blow after reaching the final of the Europa League last term, so risking Morelos for potentially 50-60 minutes could well be worth it.