Rangers v Dundee United injury news: Nicolas Raskin a fitness concern ahead of Premiership clash

Rangers return to domestic action with a home clash against basement boys Dundee United at Ibrox on Saturday as Michael Beale’s side look to warm up for their pivotal Glasgow Derby showdown against Celtic the following weekend with a victory.

The Light Blues still trail their bitter rivals by nine points, despite Beale’s unbeaten Premiership record as Gers boss. They face a Tangerines outfit rooted to the foot of the table and under increasing presure to maintain their top-flight status.

Rangers team news

Nicolas Raskin is a major fitness doubt for Rangers after he pulled out of the Belgium Under-21 squad through injury prior to the international break. The former Standard Liege midfielder has been an important addition to the squad since his arrival in January.

Michael Beale is expected to reveal the extent of Raskin’s problem in his pre-match press conference on Friday, while Kemar Roofe (calf) and Tom Lawrence (knee) will play no part having been ruled out of the remainder of the season. The pair join long-term absentees Filip Helander (foot) and Steven Davis (ACL).

Midfielder Ryan Jack was in action for Scotland against Cyprus last weekend and was an unused substitute in the historic 2-0 qualifying victory over Spain on Tuesday night. Fashion Sakala (Zambia), Glen Kamara (Finland) and Borna Barisic (Croatian) will also be assessed after representing their countries during the international window.

Dundee United team news

The struggling Tayside club could boost their survial bid with the return of playmaker Peter Pawlett after he recovered from a hamstring problem. Manager Jim Goodwin is likely to be without ex-Rangers winger Glenn Middleton (hamstring) and Welsh international Dylan Levitt (knee).

Levitt will not require surgery on his knee after tests confirmed ligament damage and condemned him to a spell on the treatement table. Full-back Liam Smith is also nursing an ankle knock sustained in the closing stages of United’s 1-1 draw against St Mirren a fortnight ago, while ex-Celtic defender Charlie Mulgrew will hope to win his fitness battle in time before kick-off.

Goodwin said: “This weekend will definitely comes too soon for Liam. We will need to hear back from specialists about the length of time. He fell awkwardly - really innocuous - and has an ankle issue. Charlie missed the last game with a hamstring issue and Glenn is still out.

“The physio and medical team are working extremely hard to get Dylan the best rehab we can. We are speaking to some top surgeons and it doesn’t seem like he’ll need to go under the knife. We’ll try to push him as hard as we can to have him available for at least some part of the run-in.”

Who are the match officials?

Don Robertson will be the man in the middle for Saturday’s Premiership clash at Ibrox between Rangers and Dundee United. He will be assisted by Dougie Potter and Drew Kirkland, with Iain Snedden named as the fourth official. Mike Roncone is in charge of VAR.

Latest match odds

Rangers 1/10 | Draw 17/2 | Dundee United 22/1 (*Odds from Skybet.com correct at time of writing*)