Rangers suffered an agonising defeat on penalties in the Europa League final on Wednesday night, and the players will now have to regroup ahead of today’s Scottish Cup final.
Giovanni van Bronckhorst could make a few changes as the Ibrox club look to end their 13-year wait to lift the domestic knockout trophy, although one player is definitely out of the Hampden Park clash.
Borna Barisic will be missing for the match due to an injury sustained against Eintracht Frankfurt in midweek, as Van Bronckhorst confirmed in his pre-match press conference on Friday: “Borna is not available for tomorrow, all other players who featured are available.”
This will result in a tactical change from the manager, as with the Croatian missing, Calvin Bassey will be required to revert to the left-back spot, which will open up a berth at the heart of defence.
With first-team mainstay Connor Goldson being more or less certain of a place, it will be up to the Dutchman to pick between Leon Balogun or give 18-year-old Leon King a start in a major cup final.
Rangers will miss Barisic
Whilst Barisic hasn’t been up to his usual high standards this term (his Sofascore rating in the Premiership is 7.29, compared to 7.4 last season), his absence will nonetheless be a big blow to Rangers' chances of winning the trophy. His attacking threat is always a bonus, as he offers excellent support to Ryan Kent on the left-hand side.
As per WhoScored, only James Tavernier and Alfredo Morelos have exceeded the Croatian's 1.9 key passes per game in the Premiership among Van Bronckhorst's starters this season, while just four Gers players had more than his three assists in the league.
With there being transfer interest for Barisic during the January window, this season could be his last at the club. It would be a shame if the Europa League final defeat is his final match for the Ibrox giants, and his manager will no doubt be gutted not to have the 29-year-old's creative spark to call upon today.