Glasgow Rangers travel away from Ibrox to face Dundee at Dens Park this evening as they look to quickly bounce back from their defeat at the weekend.
The Light Blues suffered a bitterly disappointing 3-2 defeat at the hands of Ross County away from home on Sunday, despite leading the game 1-0 at half-time.
Philippe Clement's side chucked the game away and now find themselves in a position where even a win against Dundee tonight leaves them second in the table and behind rivals Celtic, on the same number of games played.
This means that the Gers may need to pick up all three points at Parkhead in their final league meeting with the Hoops, if they want to win the Scottish Premiership title.
Firstly, though, Rangers need to secure the win at Dens Park tonight, in a fixture that has already been postponed twice due to a waterlogged pitch, and the manager could make some changes from the team that lined up on Sunday.
Clement must brutally ditch Kieran Dowell, who struggled at the weekend, from the starting XI and finally unleash Nicolas Raskin in his place.
Kieran Dowell's performance against Ross County in numbers
The central midfielder, signed on a free transfer from Norwich City last summer, was selected to play in the middle of the park alongside John Lundstram and behind Todd Cantwell.
Unfortunately, Dowell did not make the most of his opportunity to show the manager that he deserves to be starting week-in-week-out during the title run-in.
Instead, he gave the Belgian boss a reason to brutally ditch him from the lineup for this clash with Dundee tonight, due to his struggles on and off the ball.
Minutes played
63
Sofascore rating
6.5
Key passes
0
Shots
0
Dribbled past
2x
Tackles won
2
As you can see in the table above, Dowell was dribbled past as many times as he completed tackles to win the ball back for Rangers, which illustrates how inconsistent the midfielder was out of possession.
On the ball, the left-footed dud did cause Ross County any problems as the former Canaries star failed to register a single shot or key pass throughout his 63 minutes on the pitch.
In fact, the 26-year-old Gers man has only averaged 0.3 key passes per game, with zero 'big chances' created, and scored two goals in nine league appearances for the club so far this season.
This is surprising when you consider that Dowell scored five goals, created six 'big chances', and grabbed three assists in just 14 Championship starts for Norwich during the 2022/23 campaign.
His impressive attacking work down south has not translated over to his time in Scotland, thus far, and his dismal performance against Ross County was just the latest in a line of dull displays.
Why Nicolas Raskin should start over Kieran Dowell
Raskin must finally be unleashed from the start, for the first time since the 2nd of March against Motherwell, after being an unused substitute on Sunday.
The former Belgium U21 international, who was not fit enough for the bench against Celtic, enjoyed a strong start to the campaign and fitness issues have prevented him from carrying it into the second half of the season.
However, a start against Dundee tonight could help him to kick on and return to his best form, which is why Clement should choose him to replace Dowell in the starting XI.
Appearances
9
14
Goals + assists
2
2
Key passes per game
0.3
0.8
Pass accuracy
78%
86%
Tackles + interceptions per game
2.5
2.6
Duel success rate
49%
55%
As you can see in the table above, Raskin has been more effective in and out of possession in comparison to the English midfielder this season.
He has produced over twice as many key passes per game whilst also completing a significantly higher percentage of his attempted passes, which shows that his work on the ball has been considerably more efficient.
The former Standard Liege star has also made more tackles and interceptions per game whilst winning a higher percentage of his duels in the middle of the park.
These statistics show that the £19k-per-week star, who was once hailed as "different class" by journalist Josh Bunting, is a well-rounded midfielder who is effective on and off the ball at his best.
This is why Clement should finally bring Raskin back into the starting XI as Rangers would have a terrific box-to-box midfield operator in the team if the Belgian whiz can rediscover his early-season form during the title run-in.
However, it is also worth noting that the Gers head coach does have a plethora of options to select from in the midfield positions for this clash.
The alternatives to Nicolas Raskin
Mohammed Diomande was absent for the defeat to Ross County with a thumb injury and has not recovered in time to return to action this evening.
The winter signing has scored two goals and made 2.6 tackles and interceptions per game across eight Premiership appearances for the club since his loan move to Glasgow.
Tom Lawrence, who came off the bench to replace Dowell on Sunday, is also an option to play alongside Lundstram in the middle of the park as a creative presence.
The Wales international has assisted three goals and created four 'big chances' in ten league starts for the Scottish giants, has the quality to be a difference-maker in the final third on his day.
Clement also has the option of moving Dujon Sterling back into a midfield position, where he has been deployed at times this season, to provide a more combative and athletic option.
However, Dundee have conceded 54 goals in 32 league matches this season and Rangers should be looking to put them to the sword with a fluent attacking performance, and Sterling – who is a full-back by trade – does not offer much in the way of quality in the final third.
It will be down to whoever starts, whether that is Raskin, Sterling, Dowell, or Lawrence, to put in a strong performance and ensure that they help the team to pick up all three points.
