Cammy Devlin will look to turn around a difficult start to his Rangers career when the Ibrox club face Celtic in the Premier Sports Cup quarter-final today. The Australian midfielder, who joined Rangers from Hearts on a free transfer in the summer, has become a target for supporters after a run of costly mistakes in his first eight appearances.
Devlin was sent off within five minutes of coming off the bench against Jablonec. Last Wednesday he gave away a slack pass that led to Falkirk's equaliser, before Lawrence Shankland scored a late winner to spare his blushes. In midweek, with Rangers chasing a goal late on against St Mirren, the 28-year-old sliced a straightforward pass to Kim Min-su out of play.
Last season Devlin was a key part of a Hearts side that came within minutes of winning a first top-flight title since 1960, playing alongside Lawrence Shankland and Claudio Braga. Hearts eventually lost out on the final day at Celtic Park. Devlin missed the best part of two months that season with an ankle injury, and it is thought Hearts might have wrapped up the title sooner had he stayed fit throughout.
Rangers manager Derek McInnes previously managed Devlin at Hearts and brought him to Ibrox this summer on a free transfer.
Team selection dilemma
Nico Raskin is considered certain to start in midfield for Rangers, leaving McInnes to choose between Devlin and Dan Neil to play alongside him. A 4-2-3-1 formation is seen as the most likely setup, though McInnes could opt for a midfield three that includes both players.
Devlin has struggled at times this season by trying to do too much on the ball rather than focusing on simpler distribution to team-mates who can create chances. However, he has shown flashes of his best form. He was praised for his performance in the opening-day draw at Dundee United and was considered one of Rangers' best players in the 1-0 win over Aberdeen at Pittodrie a fortnight ago. Even in the home defeat to Hibernian, he made several important defensive interventions on the counter-attack, including a tackle on Adam Mayor as the forward broke clear late in the game.
Task of marking Nygren
Devlin could be given the job of marking Celtic's Benjamin Nygren during the quarter-final. The Swedish forward, who joined Celtic last summer, has continued to divide opinion among Celtic supporters despite his numbers since arriving at the club, with his contribution seen as important to Celtic's league title win. Nygren is regarded as skilled at finding space between midfield and attack and timing his runs into the box.
Devlin's task today is to avoid becoming the latest player to struggle in the intensity of an Old Firm fixture, particularly in a first appearance in the derby, with a strong performance seen as a chance to change the minds of Rangers supporters who have turned on him early in the season.
