Lee Johnson insists it would be disrespectful on the Rangers players who take to the field at Easter Road on Saturday to say they would be weakened as the Hibs boss admits the Ibrox club could prioritise their Champions League playoff second leg against PSV Eindhoven in Holland four days later.
The Englishman was in Govan to run the rule over their next Scottish Premiership opponents as they battled out a 2-2 draw with Ruud van Nistelrooy’s Eredivisie outfit. Giovanni van Bronckhorst is expected to make changes for the trip across the M8 as he looks to keep key men fresh for the match in the Philips Stadium.
PSV Eindhoven have had their match with FC Volendam postponed this weekend to allow them extra time to prepare for the shoot-out in Eindhoven which led to a debate over whether Rangers should have been afforded the same opportunity by the SPFL and, indeed, whether it would even be beneficial.
But Johnson says it would be disrespectful to claim it’s a second choice XI - if van Bronckhorst makes wholesale changes. The ex-Sunderland gaffer said: “It's a difficult one. You’d think if there's £30 to £50 million riding on the midweek game that that probably becomes a big focus. But that's disrespectful in a sense to the players they've got in the squad, the depth of the squad. I think any Rangers side is going to be a good side.”
Meanwhile, Johnson offered his support to Marijan Cabraja who returned home to Croatia following the death of his father. The full back could feature in the match, although Johnson will take a check on his player first.
He said: “Bless him, Marijan Cabraja's father passed away so obviously our well wishes go out to the whole family.
“We're looking forward to inviting him back into the Hibs family to give him a little bit love and care. That's been a difficult moment for us. He hasn't trained this week, but he wants to play. That's massive credit to him, but that decision will be down to me. It's a difficult one. Everybody's different in terms of the grieving time they need. Some cultures are different as well.
“Potentially, he could be on a flight tomorrow morning and back, but you've got to see what state he's in both mentally and emotionally, as well as physically in terms of the time he's missed training.
“It's a tough one as a manager. No-one teaches you those types of things on the pro licence. You've just got to be human about it and try and read the individual and see how he is, try and provide that bit of love, care and support that anybody would need in that situation.”
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