Ben Godfrey will have a medical scan on Monday, 3 August, after the injury he picked up on Friday, and Rangers go into the Iberia Tbilisi tie with a problem at centre-back. Derek McInnes may have only one fully fit, recognised senior centre-back available for Poland if Godfrey cannot play.
That leaves Rangers waiting on the scan before Thursday's UEFA Europa League third qualifying round tie against Jagiellonia Bialystok. The club are still hoping Godfrey's absence will be limited to two or three weeks, but the immediate issue is whether Rangers can field a natural central defence in time for the first leg.
Derek McInnes and the back line
McInnes wanted two additional defenders brought in before the window shuts, but the injury to Godfrey has made the shortage more acute. John Souttar, who had fallen out of McInnes' starting plans, may now be forced back into the team because of the lack of alternatives.
If McInnes does not reintegrate Souttar, Rangers would have to use Dujon Sterling or Ross McCrorie out of position as temporary central defenders. That is the practical choice now: either restore a defender who had slipped from the plan, or ask a player normally used elsewhere to cover a role that shapes the whole structure of the back line.
Olwethu Makhanya and Poland
Olwethu Makhanya is also racing to resolve visa clearance issues to feature in the UEFA Europa League third qualifying round tie, and he is expected to miss the first leg in Poland. He is a 22-year-old summer acquisition, so Rangers’ options are being squeezed from two directions at once: one player assessed by scan, another delayed by paperwork.
The immediate next step is Godfrey's scan on Monday, 3 August. Rangers then face a narrow call on whether the back line in Poland comes from the few senior defenders left standing or from a reshuffle that would put more pressure on a defence already under strain.
