Glasgow Rangers got back to winning ways following the international break, as a 2-0 win over St Johnstone marginally eased the pressure on Michael Beale.
The 43-year-old isn’t out of the woods just yet, especially with a tricky tie ahead this week against Real Betis. That said, home advantage should give the Gers a major boost, considering how boisterous Ibrox gets during European ties.
Beale will have to negotiate that tie without Danilo, who suffered a fractured cheekbone in the win against the Saints with the manager providing an update after the match.
What’s the latest on Danilo’s injury?
Beale said: “It was desperately disappointing to lose Danilo because he has been looking sharp in training over the last two weeks and before that he had had one or two issues.
“It looks like it is a fractured cheekbone and we are going to miss him for a while after he scored an excellent goal.”
It isn’t just the Brazilian who will be absent against the Spanish side, as Todd Cantwell is also unavailable.
How long is Todd Cantwell out injured for?
The former Norwich City starlet was seen in a knee brace following the 1-0 defeat to Celtic before the international break and although it initially looked like it was just a precaution, the prognosis isn’t ideal.
Indeed, the manager gave the press an update on his situation prior to the weekends match, saying:
“Unfortunately, Todd Cantwell will miss the next 3 or 4 games, and Dowell will also miss out.
“Todd (Cantwell) was an issue with his knee in a challenge towards the end of the game. He should be returning in 3/4 weeks.”
Who could replace Todd Cantwell?
The Englishman has operated in a few different roles this term depending on what system Beale has deployed, and his presence will be missed.
The Light Blues have an ideal replacement in the form of Sam Lammers however, as the 6 foot 3 gem is also extremely flexible.
This season, the “perfectly two-footed” Dutchman – as lauded by talent scout Jacek Kulig – has featured as a centre-forward, attacking midfielder and even on the right wing, suggesting he could slot into a variety of positions and take over the mantle from Cantwell.
Across ten games so far this term, Lammers has scored once and registered an assist while averaging three shots per game and succeeding with 50% of his attempted dribbles per match in the Premiership.
Across the whole Rangers squad in the league, he ranks first for total shots per game, suggesting that he is incredibly positive in the final third.
It was his Champions League performances which were most impressive however, as he ranked fourth in the squad for overall Sofascore rating (7.05) along with ranking first for big chances created (one) and fifth for successful dribbles per game (0.5), proving he could shine at the highest level in Europe.
Losing Cantwell is a significant blow to Beale, yet in Lammers, he has a player who is as tactically versatile as the 25-year-old and if deployed in the correct position, could star against Betis on Thursday evening.
