Glasgow Rangers are back in Scottish Premiership action for the penultimate time in 2023 as they play host to Ross County at Ibrox on Wednesday night.
The Light Blues have won each of their last six top-flight matches and will be looking to make it seven ahead of their Old Firm clash with Celtic at the weekend.
Philippe Clement's side head into this game off the back of a 2-0 win over Motherwell on Christmas Eve as they secured a relatively comfortable victory away from Glasgow.
Early goals from Kieran Dowell and Todd Cantwell in the first half helped to seal all three points for the Scottish giants and the Belgian head coach could look to rotate his starting XI with two games in quick succession.
With that in mind, here is FFC's predicted Rangers line-up to start against Ross County under the lights at Ibrox on Wednesday night…
1 Jack Butland
The starting goalkeeper should be Jack Butland once again. He has already racked up 12 clean sheets in 18 league matches since his summer move from Crystal Palace.
An impressive save percentage of 81% shows that the 30-year-old giant has been a formidable force for opposition players to put the ball past.
2 James Tavernier
At right-back, the captain and talisman James Tavernier should start. The English dynamo has racked up nine goals and five assists in 18 top-flight starts for the Gers so far this season.
Rangers' penalty taker and skipper, he will be hoping to catch up with the Hoops in order to lift the Premiership title for the second time in his career in 2024.
3 John Souttar
The first change to the XI could come at the heart of the defence as John Souttar could come in for Connor Goldson, who suffered a knock towards the end of the clash on Sunday.
Clement may not want to risk the former Brighton colossus ahead of the clash with Celtic and this would open the door for the Scotland international to return to the starting XI on the right of the centre-back pairing.
Souttar has started eight Premiership games this term and has showcased his dominant defensive skills. He has won an eye-catching 84% of his ground duels and 70% of his aerial contests across ten appearances in total.
The former Hearts star, as evidenced by his exceptional physical qualities, is a solid performer at the back for the Gers and is more than a capable replacement for Goldson.
4 Leon Balogun
Alongside Souttar, Leon Balogun should retain his spot at the back after a terrific showing against Motherwell last time out. He put in a fantastic performance in defence and was Clement's unsung hero on the day.
Rangers titan who had more touches than Cantwell was Clement's unsung hero
The experienced defender produced an imperious performance at the back against Motherwell.
ByDan Emery 5 Ridvan Yilmaz
The Turkey international – Ridvan Yilmaz – should start again at left-back after a solid showing last time out. He made four interceptions and created one chance in 90 minutes on the pitch.
Borna Barisic could be in trouble if the former Besiktas star is able to put together a run of impressive performances to nail down the number three position moving forward.
6 Leon King
At the base of the midfield, Clement could make a second change to his XI as academy starlet Leon King could be unleashed from the start.
With John Lundstram, Ryan Jack, and Nicolas Raskin out of action, the Belgian head coach could rotate Dujon Sterling – to avoid fatigue – and start the youth team graduate in his place.
King came off the bench against Ross County as a defensive midfielder and could provide an excellent shield, as a natural centre-back, in front of the back four.
His instincts as a central defender could also allow him to drop into a back three in and out of possession when needed to deal with transitions effectively and allow the full-backs to bomb on with adequate cover through the middle of the pitch.
7 Kieran Dowell
Kieran Dowell could start once again in midfield after his impressive display on Sunday, in what was just his third league start of the campaign.
The summer signing from Norwich City opened the scoring with a well-taken goal as his initial press led to a one-two with Cyriel Dessers that then allowed him to take a touch before firing into the roof of the net.
8 Todd Cantwell
Another former Norwich playmaker – Todd Cantwell – could line up alongside Dowell and just in front of King to complete the midfield three.
The English whiz scored the second goal last weekend with a fine finish from Abdallah Sima's assist, and came close to a second with a rasping volley that was tipped onto the crossbar.
9 Rabbi Matondo
The third and final change to the XI could involve Rabbi Matondo being unleashed from the start ahead of youngster Ross McCausland.
Clement could bring the Wales international in as part of squad rotation to ensure that his squad is refreshed and ready to go again, whilst McCausland did not have his best match in a Gers shirt last time out.
The Northern Ireland international only completed 57% of his attempted passes and created one chance in 72 minutes on the right wing.
Matondo, who was once hailed for his "electrifying" pace by ex-boss Ryan Giggs, has managed one goal and two assists in the Premiership this term, despite having three starts to his name.
The pacey winger could use his speed and direct play to create opportunities for his fellow attackers in the final third, after McCausland struggled to do that effectively on Sunday.
10 Cyriel Dessers
At the top end of the pitch, Dessers could keep his place as the manager is not currently blessed with a great deal of depth in his position.
Rangers did not have a natural striker on the bench on Sunday, with Kemar Roofe and Danilo out, and this could allow the Nigeria international to start again.
