Glasgow Rangers return to Scottish Cup action today with a fifth-round clash at Ibrox.
The Gers come up against the second-tier outfit Partick Thistle, with the chance to seal their place in the quarter-finals of the competition if they come away with the win.
Michael Beale‘s sideremains unbeaten after 11 competitive matches in charge of the Light Blues in all competitions and his side come into this game off the back of a 2-1 win over Ross County in the Premiership last time out.
Will Antonio Colak start against Partick Thistle?
This cup tie offers the head coach the opportunity to make some alterations to his team and bring in some players who have not been regular starters in recent weeks.
One gem who should be given the chance to show that he deserves more minutes heading into the final months of the campaign is Croatian international Antonio Colak.
The centre-forward has only started one match – a 2-0 win over Dundee United in the Premiership – since the club returned from the break for the 2022 World Cup and has not been able to start alongside January signing Todd Cantwell as of yet.
Since joining from Norwich last month, the English attacking midfielder has caught the eye in his three appearances for the team in the Scottish top-flight.
The gem has created three chances, including one ‘big chance’, and assisted one goal, whilst completing 90% of his attempted passes, in three league outings – as per Sofascore.
Imagine Cantwell and Colak vs Partick Thistle
Cantwell, who also created 1.1 chances per match in the Championship this season for the Canaries, is a midfielder who has the quality to consistently provide his teammates with opportunities to score from and that is why he could be a dream player to play alongside Colak.
The former PAOK marksman, who journalist Josh Bunting claimed “creates problems” for the opposition, was on fire for the Gers in the first half of the campaign.
He scored a whopping 11 goals in 14 Premiership appearances, whilst also scoring three goals in four Champions League qualifiers, and a player like Cantwell could help him to rediscover the Midas touch in front of goal.
Colak has showcased his quality in the final third on many occasions for the Gers already in his short time at Ibrox but his recent dry spell – of no goals in his last eight appearances – could end by putting an excellent playmaker alongside him.
Therefore, Beale must unleash the 29-year-old marksman from the start in this match against Championship opposition as it could provide the gem with the chance to regain some confidence by adding to his goal tally – with the help of Cantwell’s chance creation from midfield.