James Tavernier’s Ibrox Future Uncertain as Rohl Faces Selection Dilemma
Starting Sunday, Rangers’ right-back role and attacking balance will shift, placing james tavernier’s place under immediate threat as Danny Rohl rethinks his lineup. Sunday at 3: 00 p. m. ET, Rohl must set a side for the Scottish Cup tie with Celtic after last weekend’s derby and recent cup results forced fresh selection questions.
James Tavernier and Dujon Sterling battle for the right-back spot
Rangers now face a concrete choice at right-back: James Tavernier is out of contract this summer after almost 11 years at the club, and he has started recent big fixtures on the bench, including the matches against Hearts and Celtic. That status shift removes the automatic selection that Tavernier once enjoyed and leaves Rohl with a binary decision ahead of the cup tie.
For the immediate matchday selection, Dujon Sterling produced a late intervention in the derby when a last-gasp handball helped the visitors salvage a point, and the manager opted to start Sterling ahead of Tavernier on that occasion. Sterling has made only nine Premiership outings in the current campaign, which complicates relying on him as a long-term solution at right-back.
Danny Rohl faces Youssef Chermiti selection dilemma
Youssef Chermiti’s recent output makes him central to Rohl’s attacking choices: he scored twice against Celtic last weekend and is Rangers’ top scorer in the Scottish Premiership this season with nine league goals. Eight of those nine goals have come in encounters with either Celtic or Hearts, and Chermiti has netted five times against Celtic this season, all facts that put pressure on Rohl to consider starting him for the cup tie.
Oliver Antman, Bojan Miovski and Djeidi Gassama reshape possible lineups
Rangers have concrete alternatives if changes are made: Oliver Antman, signed for £3. 5m, has scored once for the club and is currently sidelined with what is believed to be a minor issue but could be repurposed into a wider role on return. Bojan Miovski remains the like-for-like striker option, while Djeidi Gassama — who has started two of the last five matches in all competitions — offers the energy in transition that Rohl might target when tweaking the formation.
Rangers also face league pressure that shapes these decisions: they sit six points behind Hearts after playing the same number of games, which makes consistent selection in the Scottish Premiership a competing priority alongside cup progression. That league gap and the club’s need for a dependable best XI frame every choice Rohl makes this week.
Next confirmed milestone: the Scottish Cup tie with Celtic at Ibrox on Sunday at 3: 00 p. m. ET. If Rohl leaves Tavernier out of the starting XI, he will need to name a right-back and finalise forward choices before the league clash with St. Mirren one week later.
