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Report: Rangers boss Gerrard to start 23-year-old vs Braga

Rangers boss Steven Gerrard to stick with out of form defender for their Europa League clash.

Steven Gerrard is set to stick with Rangers defender Nikola Katic for their Europa League clash with Sporting Braga, according to Football Insider.

The centre-back has been in poor form for Gers of late, as they have fell off the pace at the top of the Scottish Premiership.

Katic was at fault for the opening goal on Sunday as Rangers drew 2-2 at St Johnstone, which dealt a huge blow to their title chances.

Despite calls for him to be axed by the Gers faithful, the 23-year-old is set to feature in their key Europa League Round of 32 second leg tie on Wednesday evening.

Rangers head to Portugal with a slender advantage, having fought back from 2-0 down to win 3-2 at Ibrox last Thursday in dramatic fashion.

Braga are a strong outfit, and given their two away goals there will be no room for defensive frailties in Gerrard’s line-up.

With that in mind, Rangers defender Katic may miss Wednesday’s huge tie in favour of George Edmundson, however early reports suggest he will keep his place.

Filip Helander is still sidelined through injury, which is a huge blow to Gers and their back four as they aim to reach the last 16 of the Europa League.

While his form has been questionable of late, Katic is an experienced member of the squad and has been impressive on a number of occasions in Europe this season.

Those performances have helped Gers steer their way through the group stages of the Europa League and into a knockout tie with Portuguese outfit Braga.

His ability to perform on the big stage may have swayed Gerrard into sticking by the Croatian defender, and only time will tell if it is the correct decision in order to help Rangers reach the next round of the competition.

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