Glasgow Rangers will be looking to carry on where they left off in the Premiership as they face a trip to Rugby Park this afternoon to play Kilmarnock.
A 2-0 win over St Johnstone during their last outing before the international break meant they had won their previous three league games; can the Light Blues make it four in a row today?
Philippe Clement won’t just be aiming for all three points, but also ensure his team deliver a solid performance in the bargain, scoring a few goals in the process.
Against the Saints, several players stood out, yet one failed to truly showcase their abilities – Mohamed Diomande.
Why Mohamed Diomande could be dropped by Clement
The promising midfielder played just the opening 45 minutes against the Saints a couple of weeks ago, coming off at halftime to be replaced with Connor Barron.
During the first half, he lost possession seven times while making zero tackles or interceptions in what was another poor display.
Indeed, the 22-year-old even received a match rating of just 4/10 by Glasgow World for his performance, and it could be time for Clement to drop the Ivorian to the bench against Killie.
Assists
1
Touches
43
Possession lost
7
Interceptions
0
Tackles
0
Key passes
2
With Nico Raskin shining in the same match, it looks like Barron will come back into the starting XI to partner the Belgian, thus seeing Diomande dropped to the bench.
The Rangers star who could replace Diomande
Since joining from Aberdeen, the young midfielder has played a part in every single match so far this term.
The clash against the Saints was just the second match he had not started for the Light Blues, but after Diomande’s lacklustre display, the Scot should be brought back into the team.
Hailed as “very impressive” by Scotland U21 manager Scott Gemmill, Barron has emerged as a key component in Clement’s midfield, showing maturity way beyond his tender years.
In the Premiership this campaign, Barron has succeeded with 91% of his passes, averaged 69.6 touches per game, made tackles and recovered 3.7 balls per game, showcasing his abilities at the heart of the midfield.
These attributes have made him an instant hit with the Ibrox faithful, especially considering they snapped him up for free during the summer.
There is no doubt that he will continue to get better and better as time goes on, especially with exposure to European football on a regular basis.
While he has formed a decent partnership with Diomande, it will be interesting to see him and Raskin slotting into the engine room against Killie.
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The duo have the potential to shine and a solid showing from the pair could mean Diomande has to work even harder to get back into the starting XI.
Three points is all that matters at Rugby Park this afternoon, although a good performance could certainly boost morale among the supporters, no doubt about that.
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