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Rangers will be looking to continue their fine form in the Scottish Premiership as Giovanni van Bronkhorst’s side return to action at Ibrox tonight.

They play host to St Johnstone three days after beating Hearts 2-0 away from home to maintain their four-point lead over Celtic in the table.

Alfredo Morelos and Joe Aribo scored the winning goals for the Gers in the first half, with the Dutchman’s team able to hold on for a clean sheet.

How many changes will he make to the team? Here is our predicted XI…

We are predicting that he will make three alterations to the side, with Ianis Hagi, Steven Davis and Nathan Patterson coming in.

In his pre-match press conference, van Bronckhorst confirmed that he will be missing two players due to injury, revealing:

“Kemar (Roofe) has a setback and will hopefully return before the winter break. Ryan (Jack) we hope to have him back fully fit after the winter break. No fresh injuries from the match on Sunday.”

We are predicting that there will be a change in central midfield to keep the team fresh and avoid overplaying players during the festive period. Jack will be unable to slot in due to his knock and that could open the door for Steven Davis to come in for Glen Kamara.

The Finland international lost three of his five duels against Hearts and failed to make a single tackle or interception, suggesting that he could benefit from being axed in midweek before returning at the weekend as he was slightly off the pace. Davis is an experienced operator and can slot straight into the side for this match to play alongside Joe Aribo.

At right-back, Nathan Patterson could come in to offer James Tavernier in a move with a similar thought process to the Kamara switch. The ex-Newcastle man has started 15 of the 17 league matches this season and could drop to the bench to allow the youngster, who has four appearances in the Premiership this term, a chance to get some minutes under his belt.

Finally, Hagi could come in to replace Scott Arfield in the number 10 position. FFC published an article explaining why the £21k-per-week Romanian gem should be unleashed from the start after Arfield failed to catch the eye with his performance on Sunday.

The rest of the team could remain the same with, Allan McGregor, Calvin Bassey, Borna Barisic, Connor Goldson, Aribo, Fashion Sakala, Ryan Kent and Alfredo Morelos remaining.

AND in other news, Forget Arfield: Gio must unleash “dream” Rangers wiz who’s “a student of the game”…

Aston Villa manager Dean Smith could sign a dream teammate for Emi Buendia in Argentina starlet Julian Alvarez.

What’s the story?

Having clinched the signing of Buendia from recently-promoted Premier League side Norwich, it appears that Villa have their eye on another Argentine, with Alvarez on their radar.

Reports in recent days have claimed that Fernando Hidalgo, the agent of the 20-year-old, is set to meet with Villa’s representatives over a possible summer move to the Midlands.

Dribbles more than Buendia

One of the main things that has marked Alvarez out at club level has been his sheer versatility, with the 1.7m (5 foot 7) dynamo playing on the right, the left, up front and even having a stint as a number 10 as well.

His directness and willingness to make things happen has earned praise from Marcelo Gallardo, his manager at River Plate, who said that the 21-year-old is “a player that every coach would love to have”.

When you compare his performances in the league with what Buendia produced in the Championship with Norwich last season, you can see someone who could potentially link up quite well with Villa’s new signing.

His average of 1.7 dribbles per game is actually higher than Buendia (1.6), while he has also shown an ability to provide an end product, averaging 1.6 key passes and 1.3 shots per match – Villa’s new boy managed 3.1 key passes and 2.8 shots per game in 2020/21.

Alvarez could hit the ground running at Villa Park thanks to the presence of Argentine colleagues Buendia and Emi Martinez, and given his age and versatility, he should slot right into the young squad that Smith is building at the club.

If Villa are looking to sign a young talent who is on the rise, then they should look no further than Alvarez.

Meanwhile, Ashley Preece has dropped a major Aston Villa update…

Speaking exclusively to Football FanCast, former Everton striker Marcus Bent has warned defender Michael Keane that his mistakes could cost him his place in Carlo Ancelotti’s Toffees side.

The England centre-back has started all-but three games in the Premier League, but has been guilty of making some costly errors in recent weeks.

£65,000-a-week man Keane was caught out of position for Michy Batshuayi’s late equaliser during the draw with Crystal Palace earlier this month, which cost his side two points, although worse was yet to come in the draw with Tottenham.

His early misplaced header allowed Harry Kane to put Spurs ahead before Keane was involved in a mix-up with Mason Holgate which saw the England captain hammer home and rescue a point.

Keane has performed consistently under Carlo Ancelotti, epitomised by the fact he’s played more minutes than any other Everton player in the Premier League, but Bent told Football FanCast his place could come under threat.

“You’ve got Holgate, Mina and Godfrey. He’s good enough, but if he keeps making mistakes and isn’t consistent then those players will come in and take his place.

“We’ve got a good squad of young players and experienced, too.”

Manchester United are interested in signing “outstanding” Juventus striker Paulo Dybala this summer, and he could be the perfect replacement for Edinson Cavani at Old Trafford.

What’s the story?

United are poised to move to sign Juventus striker Dybala, according to reports from Corriere dello Sport in Italy, the Red Devils want to make him one of Erik ten Hag’s first signings at the club.

This isn’t the first time that the 28-year old has been linked with a move to the Theatre of Dreams. Two years ago the club were linked with a swap deal involving then United player Romelu Lukaku, but nothing materialised.

Now could be a great time to make this happen with Cavani out of contract at Old Trafford in the summer and it being unlikely he will sign an extension.

He could be the perfect Cavani replacement

When Cavani joined the Red Devils on a free transfer in 2020 there was a lot of optimism. However, given the clubs past record of failing to get the best out of proven players, some were wondering what would happen.

Thankfully the move has proven to be successful with the Uruguayan being directly involved in 26 goals in 56 appearances. Although the unplanned return of Cristiano Ronaldo has led to much less game time for him this season.

When he departs United will need to fill the place left behind from not only him, but Mason Greenwood who is no longer involved with the team.

Dybala represents the perfect player for this, with the £222k per week star out of contract this summer.

The potential exciting arrival of Ten Hag, and the chance to link up with his former team mate Ronaldo, could persuade him to finally come to the Premier League.

He has suffered a lot with injuries this season missing 83 days which would be the only concern for United. However, when they don’t have to fork out an extortionate transfer fee it makes things less risky.

Dybala’s record for the Old Lady is pretty good, being directly involved in 161 goals in 286 games. He’s experienced and used to playing for a top club just like Cavani.

If you compare the two based on their form last season, Dybala is better in quite a few areas. When it comes to goal creating actions per 90 minutes he beats the 35-year old with 4.93 compared to 2.23.

That may be down to the fact that Cavani is more of a poacher than a creator. But United already have that in Ronaldo, so replacing the Uruguayan with someone who offers more is what United should be doing.

But with Ronaldo also being linked with a potential exit, it could be bye-bye to the Portuguese star and a welcome to Old Trafford for Argentina’s Dybala.

IN other news: Man Utd eye Ten Hag’s first signing in £20.6m “rising star”, he’s a major Fred upgrade – opinion

Newcastle United were reportedly close to signing Arkadiusz Milik, according to football journalist Vincenzo Morabito.

Speaking to Calcio Napoli 24, he claimed that the St. James’ Park faithful made a transfer offer of €20m (£17.3m), but Napoli considered his value to be around €25-30m (£21.6-25.9m).

It is not specified when the North East club made their offer, but what is for sure is that they were only a few million pounds away from matching their valuation and potentially securing his signature.

Newcastle should sign Milik

The Tyneside club should come back in for Milik in the summer transfer window should he become available to be purchased.

The Poland international is a born goal scorer, with a total of no fewer than 133 (Transfermarkt) senior goals scored for both club and country combined over the course of his footballing career so far.

His old manager for the Polish national team Jerzy Brzeczek described him as an ‘incredible’ player back in November of last year, and England fans may be able to take a better glimpse of him when they play each other in an upcoming 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifier.

Nonetheless, the 27-year-old could well serve as a decent back-up striker to Callum Wilson and thus ease the goal-scoring burden off of the former AFC Bournemouth ace, or even play in a front two together.

In other news, find out what big claim has been dropped on Rafa Benitez and the potential takeover here!

Michael Appleton’s decision to turn down West Brom proves there is something wrong at the club at the moment, claims former Baggies midfielder Carlton Palmer.

Valerien Ismael was named West Brom manager on Thursday after leaving Barnsley, replacing Sam Allardyce in The Hawthorns dugout.

However, prior, it was reported by Sky Sports journalist Rob Dorsett that Appleton had informed the Midlands club that he was not interested in becoming their new boss, instead preferring to see his project at Lincoln City through.

For Palmer, given that the Imps are in League One, there must be a serious issue at West Brom for Appleton to reject them.

“There’s something not right, why so many managers were turning down the job,” the ex-England international exclusively told FFC.

“I mean, you look at Appleton. Why would he, no disrespect to Lincoln, but why would he turn down the West Brom job? It’s a massive job, right? So something’s not right.”

West Brom’s search for Allardyce’s successor was far from a simple one, complicated by snubs from the likes of Appleton and David Wagner.

In that time, sporting director Luke Dowling also left the club, so it has all been a bit chaotic. The Baggies have finally got their man, though, so can now start preparing properly for the new season.

Crystal Palace, Leeds United and AC Milan have all made enquiries for PSV Eindhoven winger Noni Madueke, according to The Evening Standard.

And a number of Palace supporters have been sharing their thoughts on the transfer update on social media.

Madueke actually left Palace’s youth academy in 2014 and has gone on to impress with the Dutch giants.

The 19-year-old made 32 appearances in all competitions last season, scoring nine times and registering eight assists.

Madueke is capable of playing all across the front line and seems to be on Palace’s radar ahead of a possible return to the club.

The Eagles could spend up to £80m on new recruits this summer, and Madueke who Aidy Boothroyd believes is a ‘bit like Phil Foden’, is valued at £14.4m by Transfermarkt.

Palace fans react

Both @cpfc_xtra and @CPFCtransfersHQ shared Palace’s enquiry on Twitter on Thursday.

This is what these Eagles fans had to say in reply, with a few keen to see a deal go through.

“Do whatever it takes”Credit: @BRL__18″Please”Credit: @FagenceLuca”Former Palace Youth. Hopefully that can play into our favour and we get him”Credit: @Mark_CPFC”I’m sure he’s gonna choose us!”Credit: @CPFCH10″Pleaseeeeeee”Credit: @JoelGray_”Off to Milan then”Credit: @CPFCMax9

In other news: ‘Honestly speechless’ – Many Crystal Palace fans ‘amazed’ at Thursday development, find out more here.

At the age of 26, most would have expected Eric Bailly to have firmly established himself in the Manchester United starting XI by now.

After all, the Ivorian defender enjoyed an extremely impressive first season at Old Trafford following his move from Villarreal in 2016.

Now though, Bailly finds himself down the pecking order at Old Trafford and linked with a move to Serie A giants Inter Milan, who are reportedly monitoring his situation according to Eurosport.

It might now be time for the Red Devils to cut the defender adrift.

Since that fantastic first season under Jose Mourinho, Bailly has made just 44 starts for Manchester United in the four seasons since.

A number of injury issues, as well as the respective arrivals of Victor Lindelof and Harry Maguire have seen his opportunities at the club dwindle and his starts decrease season upon season.

Indeed, he is currently not available having contracted COVID-19 so is self-isolating in the Ivory Coast.

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Once hailed as “immense” by Solskjaer, it now appears that the Norwegian can simply not rely on the defender for fitness or performances on a regular basis. With the Red Devils’ boss also intending to sign another centre-back in the summer window, this would then see Bailly fall even further down the pecking order.

Considering the way in which Bailly’s transfer valuation continues to fall as he enters the final year of his Old Trafford contract, this summer might be the best time to sell.

Once rated at £31.5m, that has fallen all the way down to £13.5m – a trend that is only going to continue as his deal in Manchester continues to run down.

Couple that with his failure to really stake a claim in the Manchester United starting XI and the potential interest from Inter Milan, it all leads to a convincing argument over selling Bailly sooner rather than later.

AND in more news, a transfer update has handed Manchester United a big blow in their right-winger search…

West Ham United have reportedly made an approach to bring Aaron Ramsey back to the Premier League ahead of the summer transfer window…

What’s the word?

That’s according to Italian news outlet Calciomercato, who claim the Irons have ‘timidly tested’ the waters over a potential swoop for the Juventus midfielder.

It is thought that the Serie A giants have put the 31-year-old up for sale as he has struggled to cement a role under both Maurizio Sarri and Andrea Pirlo in the past two years.

The Hammers may have to fork out £15m as well as his £150k-per-week wages (€7m-per-year).

European pedigree

And splash out they should.

Under David Moyes, the East Londoners are heading towards an exciting new era at the club.

Having narrowly survived the threat of relegation with one game to spare last season, West Ham have qualified for a place in Europe next season and one more point against Southampton on the final day will seal a spot in the Europa League rather than the Conference League.

It is players like Ramsey that can help the Irons elevate onto that next level, given his vast experience and quality over several years at the top of the Premier League and Serie A.

He has racked up 76 appearances across both of the current European competitions over the course of his career, a feat that no one on barring Manchester United loanee Jesse Lingard could potentially match in the current squad.

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One of his best qualities is the ability to provide goals from midfield, something he most notably achieved during the 2013/14 campaign, where he found. the net 16 times in just 34 matches.

It is something he has regularly done throughout his career, but particularly in the English top-flight, where he has scored a total of 40 times, as per Transfermarkt.

His classy performances in North London earned a glowing endorsement from ex-Arsenal star Martin Keown in 2019.

“He continues to mature as a player and develop. He’s a real leader now in this Arsenal team,” he said on BT Sport (via the Daily Mail). “Playing in a deeper role, as he did under Arsene Wenger – I think that’s the best role for him. If you want Ozil and him in the same team. He’s so important to everything they do. It’s the energy – the box to box energy. He’s become an outstanding technician.”

The Welsh international could also be a great fit under Moyes, according to Steve Howey, who waxed lyrical during an exclusive interview with the Transfer Tavern. “I think it would suit him, it’s London. I can’t see him coming up north, if I’m being brutally honest. I think that could be a good one.”

Also hailed as a “complete” player and once dubbed “the best-attacking midfielder in the Premier League” by Steven Gerrard, David Sullivan and co. must sanction a move for the £18m-rated beast this summer.

He could be a much-needed piece of the puzzle when their European campaign kicks in later this year.

AND in other news, Moyes could secure his own Aubameyang in £22m West Ham swoop for 27 G/A “huge talent”…

Everton’s transfer recruitment down the years has been perplexing, to say the least.

The Toffees have spent considerable sums on new players but haven’t had an awful lot to show for it. In fact, their league finishes since spending big money have been nothing but average.

They’ve not qualified for Europe and were forced into taking a completely different approach after Rafa Benitez penned terms at Goodison Park.

Expecting a wealth of finances, he opened the cheque book for just one player – Demarai Gray – who cost as little as £1.7m. The rest of Everton’s business was built around free transfers.

However, for all of the dodgy incomings, there have been some blunders when it comes to selling players too.

Moise Kean hasn’t left Merseyside permanently yet but his loan exit to Juventus this summer has to raise question marks. He is clearly of good enough quality to play for Everton after scoring 17 times for PSG last term.

Yet, we want to cast your minds back even further to the Marco Silva era.

It’s a time in Everton’s history that supporters won’t want to remember quickly but one of the exits he sanctioned has gone under the radar.

In the summer of 2019, he let full-back Antonee Robinson sign for Wigan after a successful loan spell there and at Bolton. Following his time with the Trotters, Karl Henry described him as “unbelievable,” such was his impact on the club.

What followed was rather incredible. The left-back very nearly joined AC Milan in the January window of 2020 but a move collapsed after problems with his medical.

He subsequently moved to Fulham last summer and was the subject of £10m interest from Wolves in recent months.

Robinson has stayed in the second tier but if Silva hadn’t allowed his departure, Everton now wouldn’t have a huge predicament on their hands.

Benitez is incredibly stretched in full-back areas with Seamus Coleman and Lucas Digne the sole senior options in those areas.

The likes of Ben Godfrey, Fabian Delph and Jonjoe Kenny could all fill in up to a point but after loaning out Niels Nkounkou, they are severely restricted on the left.

However, if they had Robinson then it might not only save them millions in the winter market, but it will also have been beneficial for Digne.

Robinson isn’t a bad player either. He showed as much during his first full season in the Premier League with Fulham last campaign.

The American defender produced 1.6 tackles and 1.3 interceptions per game last season while registering one key pass and an eye-catching 1.8 successful dribbles a match.

With that in mind, the former Everton man clearly has a lot in his locker. They should now be reeling from Silva’s bizarre call three years ago.

AND in other news, Forget James: Everton must unleash “exciting” rarely-seen gem with “unbelievable pace”…