Ibrox View: Clement will be utterly distraught as new Rangers blow emerges before Celtic clash

Philippe Clement defied the unexpected as Rangers drew 1-1 with Tottenham in the Europa League on Thursday.

In fact, the Gers should have walked away with all three points against ex-Celtic figure Ange Postecoglou on 12 December, with Hamza Igamane finally breaking the deadlock minutes into the second half.

The pressure of a Premier League team was just too much, however, as Dejan Kulusevski fired past Jack Butland with 15 minutes remaining, missing a final chance to snatch victory.

While many will feel that the Light Blues dropped points in front of their home crowd, that was not the biggest blow to emerge at Ibrox for the manager before taking on Celtic on Sunday 15 December.

Speaking to the press [STV, 13 December], Clement confirmed that John Souttar is a doubt for the clash.

He said: “He’s very, very motivated always for that and for the club and about winning trophies so I know he will give his best, but it needs to be, of course, something that is possible.”

John Souttar to miss Rangers’ Scottish League Cup final v Celtic?

Those are not the words of a manager who is confident that his star defender will be available for one of the biggest and most important fixtures of the season so far.

The Gers have struggled to maintain the same pace as the Hoops and Aberdeen in the Scottish Premiership, with an 11-point gap opening between them and the top of the table.

However, the League Cup final represents a chance for Clement to finally get one over on Brendan Rodgers, something he has not done since arriving in Scotland.

Possibly without Souttar, though, the target of lifting the trophy has already become much more difficult. Leon Balogun is a rock-solid defender but Robin Propper has done little to persuade.

The Light Blues could be ripped apart if Clement is forced into a centre-back partnership of Balogun and Propper but he may have no choice heading into the weekend.

In other Rangers news, Philippe Clement has been sent a “serious” warning after what he said ahead of the League Cup final.

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