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Glasgow Rangers return to Premiership action this afternoon as they look to make amends following their recent Old Firm defeat.
Kilmarnock are the visitors to Ibrox in what is the final league clash for three weeks as the winter break gives teams the chance to rest and regroup ahead of the second half of the season.
Philippe Clement suffered his first loss as boss of the Light Blues against Celtic and the performance was below what was expected, especially given how impressive the club have looked in recent weeks.
The clash against Killie gives the Belgian coach an opportunity to rotate some of his squad and this should mean Cyriel Dessers gets dropped to the bench after his dismal showing last weekend.
Cyriel Dessers’ performance against Celtic in numbers
The striker had registered four goal contributions in the three games prior to the derby clash, and he could have given his confidence another lift by scoring against Celtic.
Unfortunately, his performance lacked any real substance, and he didn’t recover after missing a glorious one-on-one chance in the first half.
The 29-year-old was given the freedom of Glasgow as he had a perfect chance to open the scoring, yet he took one touch too many and failed to even get a shot away.
The striker took just 26 touches throughout the match while winning only three of his 14 total duels and this lack of physical presence along with a failure to provide any meaningful attacking input led analyst John Walker to claim his performance was “atrocious” and he wasn’t wrong.
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A win against Kilmarnock is imperative in order to get the derby defeat out of their minds as the club look to head into the winter break in a positive mindset.
The man to replace Cyriel Dessers
The Ibrox side managed to secure the signature of 21-year-old Fabio Silva on a loan deal until the end of the season from Wolverhampton Wanderers, and he could be in line to make his debut against Killie.
The striker has featured just ten times for the Old Gold during the 2023/24 campaign, scoring once, and there is no doubt he will be fresh heading into the second half of the season.
The former Porto starlet has struggled during his spell at Wolves, yet proved just how talented he is during two temporary spells with PSV Eindhoven and Anderlecht in 2022/23.
The youngster netted 11 goals and grabbed four assists in 32 games for the Belgian side, before registering seven goal contributions in 19 games for the Eredivisie outfit and Clement will be hoping this is the Silva that the Gers have signed.
Dessers simply doesn’t deserve to start the clash against the Rugby Park side and with Danilo out until April with a knee injury, the 49-year-old tactician may not have a choice but to unleash Silva in the starting XI.
The Portuguese gem could announce himself by scoring a goal or two if he manages to make an appearance this afternoon and if the youngster lives up to expectations, his loan spell could be very lucrative indeed.
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