Rangers suffer big blow with Super Eagles star set to miss title-deciding Old Firm Derby

Rangers and Super Eagles central defender, Leon Aderemi Balogun will be out of action this weekend when his team face Celtic in the Old-Firm Derby, Soccernet.ng reports.

The 35-year-old defender seemed to have hit a purple patch regarding playing time in a Rangers shirt but suffered a setback last weekend as he suffered a back injury in their 4-1 victory over Kilmarnock in the SPFL Play-offs.

His replacement, Ben Davies, got on the pitch for the first time in over five months to score his debut goal for the Gers fifteen minutes after replacing Balogun.

According to The Scottish Sun, Davies will keep his place in the Rangers starting eleven alongside John Souttar when they take on Celtic on Saturday as coach Philippe Clement is unwilling to gamble on Balogun’s fitness.

Rangers will also be without their first-choice centre-back, Connor Goldson, who will not feature for the Glasgow-based club again this season after picking up a medial knee ligament injury in training.

Balogun is expected to be fully fit just before the Scottish Cup final that will be played on May 25th, against Celtic.

A win will be crucial for Rangers this weekend as they can go level on points with Celtic. Anything other three points will be detrimental to their league title hunt, as they have three games left to play in the SPFL this season.

Balogun is hopeful of a new Rangers contract at the end of the season, as his current deal expires on June 30th.

Adefolahan Guerreiro

Adefolahan is a multilingual journalist and writer at Soccernet Nigeria.

With a Bachelor’s degree in Electrical and Electronics Engineering and a track record of involvement in College sports, Adefolahan is focused on crafting engaging football content and utilising his language skills and extensive sports knowledge to enhance content accessibility for a global audience.

He has interviewed Nigerian stars like Finidi George, Junior Lokosa, and Abraham Onahi Ogbu.