Ibrox View: Rohl has ace up his sleeve to deal with season-ending Rangers injury scare

Danny Rohl will have to use all of his tactical nous to fire Rangers to Scottish Premiership glory, particularly if Ryan Naderi is unavailable.

After their hopes of winning their first league title since 2021 seemed to ebbing away after Celtic secured a comeback draw at Ibrox on 1 March, Rangers are well and truly back.

Three wins in a row against St. Mirren, Aberdeen, and Dundee United have propelled Rohl’s team to second in the table, leaving them just one point adrift of long-time leaders Hearts.

Rangers round off the first phase of the league season on Sunday away at Falkirk, before they prepare for five final matches for the post-split title race fixtures.

Rangers look set to be without the injured Naderi at Falkirk Stadium, but Rohl does have other options up his sleeve.

What attacking options does Danny Rohl have?

Since signing from Hansa Rostock in February, striker Naderi has scored three goals and as many assists in 10 games in all competitions.

Just one of those have been in the league, though, with the 22-year-old getting on the scoresheet in a 4-2 win over Dundee United last Saturday, before coming off injured at half time.

Naderi led Rangers’ attack against Dundee United, while fellow forward options Youssef Chermiti and Bojan Miovski came off the bench in the second half.

Chermiti and Miovski have 14 league goals between them, while the latter shades the former for goals in all competitions (11 vs nine).

Before Rohl swapped Sheffield Wednesday for Rangers, he used various formations such as 4-2-3-1, 3-2-4-1, 4-4-2 and 5-4-1.

In the 4-1 win over Aberdeen, Chermiti led the line, with Naderi just behind him, while Thelo Aasgaard and Mikey Moore played either side of the German in a 4-2-3-1.

Naderi and Chermiti have worked well in a two-man attack against the likes of Celtic and Hearts, with the latter showing he is a big-match player with his goals this season.

Due to Naderi’s injury, it may be a risk to play both Chermiti and Miovski against Falkirk, particularly as they don’t really have quality back-up options.

It seems the way forward for now is a 4-2-3-1 formation with Chermiti, who has struggled against teams not called Hearts or Celtic this season, leading the attack.

Mikey Moore is versatile but asking him to play as a false nine is a lot of pressure to put on an 18-year-old’s shoulders. The Chermiti option is far from perfect, but it seems the most likely course of action for now.

How long will Ryan Naderi be out for?

Naderi is said to be awaiting the results of the scan on his thigh injury, as Rangers sweat over his fitness ahead of the run-in.

Rangers striker Naderi has not been in first-team training this week, as the Gers assess their alternative options.

With just over a month to go before the season draws to a close, Rangers fans are anxious about when the £4.7million signing will be back fit.

Some reports suggest he could be out for the season, whereas others speculate that he may return for Motherwell in late April or away at Celtic on 10 May.

Rangers have won plenty of games without Naderi and they may have to do the same again in the coming weeks.

Updated 24/7 with expert analysis from the heart of Govan.