Philippe Clement faces critical Rangers dilemma for Viaplay Cup final v Aberdeen after fresh Jose Cifuentes blow

Philippe Clement faces critical Rangers dilemma for Viaplay Cup final v Aberdeen after fresh Jose Cifuentes blow

Philippe Clement faces critical Rangers dilemma for Viaplay Cup final v Aberdeen after fresh Jose Cifuentes blow

While Philippe Clement is getting ready for what could be his biggest game as Rangers manager to date, his plans have been

significantly hampered by multiple absences, including one more that occurred this past week.

The Gers won their thrilling 3-2 thriller against Real Betis on Thursday, December 14,

to win the group and advance to the competition’s last 16, which will take place in March.

With goals from Cyriel Dessers, Abdallah Sima, and a late Kemar Roofe goal, they secured their

first-ever away win against a Spanish team and maintained their stellar unblemished record under Clement.

With 10 wins and three draws from his 13 games in charge, a remarkable accomplishment,

the victory on Thursday night (December 14) perfectly captures the enormous development made under the Belgian coach,

who has yet to experience defeat as manager at Ibrox since his hiring in October.

But when the Gers play Aberdeen in the ViaPlay Cup final on Sunday, December 17,

they will undoubtedly be starting their most important match of recent memory, one that will put their 13-game

unbeaten streak to the test.

Following their successes in Europe, the Dons are in great spirits after defeating

Eintracht Frankfurt of the German Bundesliga 2-0 on Thursday.

Clement certainly needs no reminders as to the quality their opponents pose having restricted Rangers

to a hard-fought draw on 26 November.

However, whatever plans the Belgian had for Sunday’s final showpiece have

been blown out of the window with so many absences currently in his squad and yet another fresh one on Jose Cifuentes.

The SFA declared on Tuesday, December 12, that Rangers’ attempt to get Cifuentes’

last-weekend dismissal against Dundee United overturned was unsuccessful.

The Ecuadorian international will now miss Sunday’s Scottish Premiership match against St Johnstone

and Aberdeen’s Viaplay Cup final.

Cifuentes joins Nicolas Raskin, Danilo, Ryan Jack, Steven Davies, Scott Wright, Tom Lawrence,

and potentially Todd Cantwell in missing Sunday’s game, leaving Clement without

seven first-team players as a result of this latest blow. This raises questions about the strength of their

squad and whether they will be playing at their best in the championship.

While those absences are a huge blow to Clement, it is certainly much of a bigger one that most of those players out is arguably the most important role in Clement’s system at Ibrox which is midfield.

Clement is faced with a difficult decision as Rangers’ only available and healthy midfield

man for Sunday’s match at Hampden Park is John Lundstram.

In his past two cameos against Dundee and Betis, the former Monaco star used peripheral player Dujon Sterling in an unfamiliar midfield role. The right-back impressed, but it’s not a given that he’ll be

ready to play 90 minutes in that role on Sunday.

The club’s biggest game of the season is on Sunday, so whatever Clement decides might make or break the outcome. crucial.

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