Ibrox View: Clement to axe duo in bid to save his job – Rangers predicted XI v Nice

Philippe Clement will come under further pressure if he doesn’t drop Cyriel Dessers when Rangers face Nice in the Europa League on Thursday.

Dessers and Mohamed Diomande were both hooked at half-time of the Bears’ dismal draw with Dundee United on 23 November, with Hamza Igamane coming on late and Ross McCausland left on the bench.

That duo may come into the starting XI at the Allianz Riviera on 28 November, as Clement looks to hang onto his job in the wake of falling 11 points behind in the Premiership title race.

Reports even surfaced over the weekend stating that Clement had even been sacked by the Ibrox board, but the Belgian remains in post for now, with this game shaping up to be make-or-break.

Cyriel Dessers change key for Philippe Clement in Nice v Rangers

Many a Gers fan will want to see sweeping changes made to a starting XI which struggled to another meagre point on 23 November against the Tangerines, who went into half-time 1-0 up.

After Danilo and Ianis Hagi both impressed off the bench having replaced Dessers and Diomande, Clement’s decision to leave the pair out of their European squad is looking like a grave oversight.

As a result, the pressure has never been higher on Clement than it is at present [Daily Record, 25 November], but the Belgian has been hesitant to make wholesale changes to his team, particularly in defensive areas.

Jack Butland and the Gers’ backline is therefore likely to remain unchanged, with Robin Propper alongside John Souttar in central defence despite the latter being used as a makeshift striker late on.

Rıdvan Yilmaz’s long-awaited return at Ibrox won’t see him displace Jefte at left-back, while Dujon Sterling must continue in place of James Tavernier if he’s to hold down a long-term spot on the right.

Nico Raskin and Connor Barron have been two of the few strong performers recently, while a switch into the number 10 role for Nedim Bajrami is overdue – facilitated by McCausland starting on the left flank.

Vaclav Cerny’s seventh goal of the season – and fifth to directly win Premiership points – saved Clement’s bacon once again at Ibrox, doing what Dessers barely came close to in the first half.

Patience with the Nigerian striker – and Clement as a result – has finally run thin, and if Igamane doesn’t start up front in Nice, the knives that are already out for the under-fire Gers boss will only sharpen.

In other Rangers news, one Ibrox star has been backed to become the new Bears captain after recent displays for club and country.

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