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Daily Record
Daily Record
Sport
Liam Bryce

6 burning Rangers questions for Gio van Bronckhorst as Braga and Celtic showdowns set to shape his future

As far as pivotal weeks go, they don't come much bigger than this for Rangers.

Giovanni van Bronckhorst 's side face two monumental fixtures as they strive to end their season with silverware.

First up is Braga in the Europa League quarter-final with a 1-0 deficit to overturn from the first leg in Portugal.

Having already disposed of the likes of Borussia Dortmund and Red Star Belgrade at Ibrox in the knockout stages, they will fancy their chances of progressing to the last four.

Hot on the heels of a continental cracker comes a Scottish Cup semi-final with Celtic.

The Parkhead side looked destined to reclaim the Premiership title and it feels a bit last chance saloon for Rangers if they are to scoop up a domestic trophy this season.

Here are five burning questions for Van Bronckhorst as his dates with destiny approach.

Ramsey to start both?

Amid the general disappointment of last week's first leg, there was plenty of head scratching among Rangers fans over Van Bronckhorst's decision not to use Aaron Ramsey as his side chased the game.

The Welshman was a bright spark in defeat to Celtic days earlier, scoring a trademark goal and was Rangers' most creative presence.

Van Bronckhorst has been careful to manage the Juventus loanee's schedule given his well-publicised fitness issues - but to not even bring him off the bench in Portugual was a puzzler, especially since the manager later insisted the midfielder was ready to play.

The truth is Van Bronckhorst can no longer afford such caution.

These are the weeks for which Ramsey was recruited and his quality was evident against St Mirren on Sunday.

Given it's all or nothing for Rangers, surely the 30-year-old must start against both Braga and Celtic.

Stick with Davis?

Steven Davis has been conspicuous by his absence since Van Bronckhorst took over, albeit he's had injury issues to contend with for a chunk of the season.

Even when available, however, the veteran Northern Irishman has been consistently overlooked.

But injuries to both Ryan Jack and John Lundstram, the latter coming in-game in Paisley, forced Van Bronckhorst to turn to Davis and he looked as assured and effective as ever in a controlled performance.

Granted, it came against a dismal St Mirren side but Rangers were noticeably better with Davis on the pitch.

The question now, however, is does he feature against either Celtic or Braga?

Lundstram worries

The answer to the above question could be dictated by the fitness of Lundstram.

The former Sheffield United star was withdrawn with an injury, presenting Van Bronckhorst with a potentially serious concern.

Lundstam and Jack been his go-to midfield partnership since the latter returned from a long injury lay-off and has proven particularly effective in Europe.

Jack was rested against St Mirren but Van Bronckhorst admitted afterwards he didn't know whether Lundstram would be back in time for Braga after picking up a groin problem.

Not only has Lundstram grown into his midfield role, he always gives his manager the flexibility to switch to a back three in-game, as Rangers have done at times under the Dutchman.

Play to Roofe's strengths

Kemar Roofe's weekend hat-trick provided Rangers fans with hope that the loss of Alfredo Morelos for the remainder of the season won't prove as disastrous as feared.

Roofe was in ruthless form with a trio of sharp finishes to sink St Mirren en-route to a morale-boosting victory.

It's evidence that, if the service is right, the Jamaican international will find the net.

He even jokingly remarked afterwards that it was "about time" Rangers' deliveries into the box improved.

On Sunday, much of that was down to Borna Barisic, who looked back to something resembling his best following a spell spent largely out of the team.

Calvin Bassey has been a breakout star for Rangers this season, but one area he can't quite match Barisic is those teasing deliveries Roofe thrives on.

But with Bassey rested with the express intention of being available for Thursday, the Croatian may find himself back on the bench, which means it will be up to others to provide Roofe with the ammunition he needs.

Centre back concerns

Filip Helander being helped off and swiftly heading for hospital was a grim sight for Van Bronckhorst and it feels unlikely the big Swede's injury was one that lets him back on the pitch within a few days.

His absence, no doubt, would leave Rangers perilously short on options at centre-back.

Leon Balogun will almost certainly return to the starting line-up against Braga, with youngster Leon King replacing Helander in order to keep the Nigerian international fresh.

But Balogun has been prone to an issue of his own on occasion and Van Bronckhorst will pray he comes through the next week unscathed.

The position looks destined to become King's with time but Van Bronckhorst would probably rather give him exactly that - time - before throwing the 18-year-old right in at the deep end.

His own future?

Make no mistake, these are the most important few days of Van Bronckhorst's still relatively fledgling stint in the Ibrox dugout.

Fan confidence in their manager has been shaken by the startling turnaround at the top of the Premiership table since the New Year.

A 12-point swing has Celtic pulling clear at the summit and Rangers face the prospect of their rivals surging to a Treble if they win at Hampden on Sunday.

Given where Rangers were when Van Bronckhorst took over, to finish the campaign empty-handed would be a bitter blow, and one that would raise questions over the Dutchman's future, especially considering the impending squad rebuild needed this summer.

Failing to win the Europa League would not be considered any sort of failure, but being unable to overcome Braga would, however, be viewed as a disappointment given what Rangers have already managed in the competition to date.

None of this will be lost on Van Bronckhorst this week.

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