{"id":21954,"date":"2026-01-27T20:31:45","date_gmt":"2026-01-27T20:31:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wpinitiate.com\/echo-test\/demo76e71539\/2026\/01\/27\/aarons-to-return-predicted-4-2-3-1-rangers-lineup-to-face-porto\/"},"modified":"2026-01-27T20:31:45","modified_gmt":"2026-01-27T20:31:45","slug":"aarons-to-return-predicted-4-2-3-1-rangers-lineup-to-face-porto","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wpinitiate.com\/echo-test\/demo76e71539\/2026\/01\/27\/aarons-to-return-predicted-4-2-3-1-rangers-lineup-to-face-porto\/","title":{"rendered":"Aarons To Return? | Predicted 4-2-3-1 Rangers Lineup To Face Porto"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

High-flying Rangers<\/a> are on an eight-game winning streak and have climbed up to second in the Premiership standings. While their run in Europe is already over, Danny Rohl is expected to field a strong lineup against Porto, similar to the \u2018dead rubber\u2019 tie against Ludogorets in the previous gameweek.<\/p>\n

However, it won\u2019t be a stroll in the park for the Light Blues on Thursday night. A win could see the Portuguese giants escape the Europa League playoffs by securing a \u2018top eight\u2019 finish, and the Dragons\u2019 form under Francesco Farioli makes them outright favourites in their own backyard.<\/p>\n

A crucial awaits the Glasgow giants over the weekend, as they will travel to Easter Road to clash heads with Hibernian. A setback on Sunday afternoon would be a bigger blow, given the \u2018three-horse\u2019 league race with Hearts and Celtic also in the fray after 23 games.<\/p>\n

Defence<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Jack Butland has not conceded since the Old Firm derby, and his majestic form between the sticks could frustrate the home side, who are heavily reliant on Samuel Aghehowa high up the pitch.<\/p>\n

\"Rangers
GLASGOW, SCOTLAND \u2013 JANUARY 25: Mikey Moore of Rangers is seen during the Premier League match between Rangers and Dundee at Ibrox Stadium on January 25, 2026 in Glasgow, Scotland. (Photo by Ian MacNicol\/Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Injuries to John Souttar and Derek McInnes decimate Rangers in the heart of the backline. Nasser Djiga and Manny Fernandez are expected to continue as the central defensive pairing; also, Jayden Meghoma should operate from the left, with January signing Tuur Rommens ineligible to feature in Europe. Max Aarons might return to the starting XI, replacing James Tavernier on the right. Versatile Dujon Sterling remains sidelined with a muscle strain.<\/p>\n

Midfield<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Tochi Chukwuani and Andreas Skov Olsen made their debuts against Dundee. But they are not part of their Europa League squad, thus leaving Rohl with Nicolas Raskin and Mohamed Diomande as the \u2018double pivot\u2019 amid Connor Barron\u2019s injury and Joe Rothwell\u2019s potential departure.<\/p>\n

Thelo Aasgaard has picked up the pace after a slow start, and the Norwegian should be deployed as an advanced playmaker. Djiedi Gassama found the net against the Dee as a substitute, and Skov Olsen\u2019s ineligibility might earn him a starting status down the wide. Mikey Moore should keep his place over Oliver Antman, and the likes of Findlay Curtis and Danilo are expected to part ways before 2nd February\u2019s deadline.<\/p>\n

Attack<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Youssef Chermiti missed the Dundee match due to illness. Bojan Miovski is likely to spearhead the attack, as the former Sporting CP youth international must not be rushed with a lot more at stake in Edinburgh.<\/p>\n

\"football<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

High-flying Rangers are on an eight-game winning streak and have climbed up to second in the Premiership standings. While their run in Europe is already over, Danny Rohl is expected to field a strong lineup against Porto, similar to the \u2018dead rubber\u2019 tie against Ludogorets in the previous gameweek. However, it won\u2019t be a stroll […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12953,"featured_media":21955,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-21954","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wpinitiate.com\/echo-test\/demo76e71539\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21954","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wpinitiate.com\/echo-test\/demo76e71539\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wpinitiate.com\/echo-test\/demo76e71539\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wpinitiate.com\/echo-test\/demo76e71539\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/12953"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wpinitiate.com\/echo-test\/demo76e71539\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=21954"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/wpinitiate.com\/echo-test\/demo76e71539\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21954\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wpinitiate.com\/echo-test\/demo76e71539\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/21955"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wpinitiate.com\/echo-test\/demo76e71539\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=21954"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wpinitiate.com\/echo-test\/demo76e71539\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=21954"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wpinitiate.com\/echo-test\/demo76e71539\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=21954"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}