Glasgow Rangers face Benfica in what will be Steven Gerrard’s toughest test this season so far. However, the Gers could have a few tricks up their sleeves, if recent reports are to be believed…
What’s the word?
Benfica boss Jorge Jesus has admitted that Rangers star striker Alfredo Morelos is a “very dangerous” beast ahead of the Europa League clash in Lisbon on Thursday night.
The Scottish Premiership leaders will battle the Portuguese giants for supremacy at the top of the table as both sides have started their Group D campaign with back-to-back wins.
And Jesus is concerned that the 6-cap Colombia international poses a real threat to their chances of securing a top-seed place in the group stages.
He told Sport TV, as quoted by FourFourTwo: “The striker is very well known. He’s a Colombian who doesn’t have much of a playing style, he doesn’t have an elegant aesthetic, but he’s very dangerous. He’s got that style like Gerd Muller.”
No brainer
Morelos has been in sensational form for Rangers in recent years, having written his name in the record books against Lech Poznan last week.
Last season, the 24-year-old scored six goals and supplied one assist in the Europa League (excluding the qualifying rounds), via Transfermarkt.
Since then, the Colombian centre-forward moved level with Ally McCoist on 21 European goals, and could surpass the Gers legend this season.
Per SofaScore, Morelos has made two appearances in the Europa League this season, scoring one goal so far, whilst he is averaging two shots and one key pass per game. In contrast, his teammate and rival Kemar Roofe has only mustered one shot per game so far, as per SofaScore.
He recently received praise from McCoist himself, who called him a “top-class” player, whilst he was once likened to Gerrard’s former Liverpool teammate Luis Suarez, who is now plying his trade at Atletico Madrid.
Granted, Gerrard isn’t exactly short of striker options, as he can call upon the services of Cedric Itten and Roofe as well. However, as we’ve previously discussed, we believe that Itten’s best position could actually be on the right wing, while Roofe has hardly done himself any favours at all with a disappointing display against Lech Poznan, and Jermain Defoe was axed from the Europa League squad altogether.
As is often the case, Morelos ended his mini goal drought in style as he scored the matchwinner after coming off the bench to replace Roofe last week. Now that he is fully fit and firing on all cylinders, the Gers will need him to start a new streak when they travel to Benfica tonight.
Whether or not he will still be here by the end of the season is another matter entirely, but Gerrard and Rangers fans will be hoping he can continue scoring at any rate as they seek to challenge for silverware in the domestic and European campaigns.
AND in other news, Shades of Prso: Steven Gerrard must unleash Glasgow Rangers ace Cedric Itten vs Benfica…