Glasgow Rangers’ turbulent season continues as Michael Beale was relieved of his managerial duties on Sunday evening, and it leaves the Ibrox side searching for their third permanent manager in just two years.
Steven Davis has been placed in interim charge of the side until further notice as James Bisgrove is leading the hunt for a new manager, one that will hopefully bring back the feel-good factor to the club.
His first game will be against Aris Limassol in the Europa League, and the Northern Irishman will be aiming to secure win number two of the group stage, having defeated Real Betis 1-0 at Ibrox just a couple of weeks ago.
A win against the Cypriot side would certainly boost their confidence and would also aid their chances of qualifying for the knockout stages.
What’s the Rangers team news vs Aris Limassol?
Davis may be set for some positive news, as previously injured trio Nicolas Raskin, Kemar Roofe and Danilo were all spotted in training this week, although it remains to be seen whether they will make an appearance tonight, as the game perhaps comes too soon.
Todd Cantwell, Rabbi Matondo and Tom Lawrence likely won't be available until after the international break, missing both the Aris clash along with the Premiership tie against St Mirren this Sunday.
Following the 3-1 defeat against Aberdeen on the weekend, Davis could potentially make a change or two to the starting XI and this could see defender John Souttar come back into the first team.
Will John Souttar start for Rangers against Aris Limassol?
The former Hearts centre-back formed a solid partnership with Connor Goldson at the heart of the defence during the opening weeks of the season and performed well.
Across five league matches, he achieved a Sofascore rating of 7.16 for his displays while winning 4.8 total duels – a success rate of 71% – and making 1.4 interceptions per game, and it appeared he was finally beginning to show the form which led the club to sign him in 2022.
Following the international break, Ben Davies was given a chance and the former Liverpool defender recorded four clean sheets in consecutive matches to keep his place alongside Goldson as Souttar looked on from the bench.
The Englishman lost possession 18 times during the tie against the Dons on Saturday, however, and perhaps it is time for Davis to unleash Souttar against Aris tonight.
The £8.1k-per-week titan was previously hailed by teammate Ryan Jack, who dubbed the defender as a “presence” and he could be the man drafted in to make his first start since Motherwell during the 1-0 win towards the end of last month.
Having missed 46 games during his debut campaign in Glasgow, Souttar has returned to full fitness during the 2023/24 season and could prove to be an important member of the squad under whoever takes over the Gers.
The centre-back will shackle any threat Aris pose tonight, and he could be integral to the club keeping a European clean sheet while allowing him to gain some more minutes ahead of the crucial tie against St Mirren on the weekend.