Rangers boss Philippe Clement insists Sunday’s Old Firm game at Ibrox will not be decisive in terms of the cinch Premiership title race.

With eight fixtures remaining, the Light Blues are one point behind reigning champions Celtic with a game in hand.

Rangers lost 1-0 to Celtic at Ibrox in September when Michael Beale was in charge and went down 2-1 at Celtic Park in December in Clement’s first experience of a Glasgow derby, and there will be another Old Firm game at Celtic Park after the split.

However, the Belgian somewhat played down the significance of Sunday’s lunchtime clash in Govan.

“It is always a big game, it is a six-point game and we know we have another one in a few weeks but it is not yet a decisive game,” said Clement, who revealed that left-back Ridvan Yilmaz, who injured himself on international duty with Turkey, will be assessed for his fitness.

“So whoever wins is not champions. It is not like that. I am happy with what I have seen from my team after the last Old Firm game.

“We have had 11 games until now and we took 30 points from 33 and we could have taken more points in the Motherwell game, it could have been better than that and we scored more goals than Celtic in that period and less goals against.

“So that is really good consistency but not a guarantee for anything.

“It is a really big step forward from the beginning of the season and my first part of the season that there has been more consistency.

“Bigger squad, better results, more people ready to do the job so I see my team growing month by month and this is the next challenge.

“But don’t forget this, there are still a lot of games to play, not only the two Old Firm games.”

Clement also believes there will be no psychological impact on his players regardless of the result.

He said: “No, because my message has been really clear from the beginning. I don’t want a team that after a disappointment stay in the disappointment and they have proven that, not too much because we haven’t had too much disappointment.

“And I don’t want a team that when they have a really good moment like it was in Seville (beat Real Betis 3-2) that they stay in that emotion and the next game they are not there. That is stupid because you lose the points.

“So there will not be a difference, whatever the result but we are of course going to go full out to get the three points.”

On Yilmaz’s condition, Clement said: “We will make a decision tomorrow or even on Sunday around that.

“He has been training but not enough with the team to ensure he is in the squad.

“(Abdallah) Sima is fit enough to start but not to play 90 minutes. It depends which part of the game you want him on the pitch so that is my decision.”

Philippe Clement is unhappy at only being able to make three changes to his Europa League squad following a transfer window which left him “happy”.

The signing of Colombian winger Oscar Cortes on loan from Lens with an option to buy in the summer on deadline day was the third new recruit, following the arrival of Portuguese attacker Fabio Silva on loan from Wolves and Ivorian midfielder Mohamed Diomande on loan from Danish side Nordsjaelland.

Defenders Ridvan Yilmaz and Leon Balogun were left out of the Euro squad at the start of the season by then boss Michael Beale but have become key players under Clement.

Abdallah Sima, Kemar Roofe, Danilo and Kieran Dowell are long-term injured but could be fit for the latter stages of the Europa League if Rangers progress.
Ben Davies is out at the moment while Sam Lammers has joined Utrecht on loan and Jose Cifuentes could also be on his way out, the midfielder linked with a loan move to Brazilian club Cruzeiro.

Ahead of the cinch Premiership game against Livingston at Ibrox on Saturday – Rangers are five points behind leaders Celtic with a game in hand – Clement  revealed he had spoken to his players about the Euro squad for the last-16 ties in March.

The Belgian boss said: “I had discussions with the players about that this afternoon.

“I am not happy with the rule. But the rule is the rule of course for all the team and I also understand the idea behind it.

“I was not totally aligned with how the European list was at the beginning of the season but it was what it was and I can only make three changes now.

“So the reality is a few players I wanted on the list cannot be on the list.

“If you only have three position to change there is not much to think about but if you guys (media) think a bit logically, you will see the logic.”

Some Rangers fans expressed surprise that another striker to give competition to Cyriel Dessers was not brought in but Clement, who took over the Light Blues in October, explained his thinking.

He said: “I will never speak about what we wanted.

“Everyone in the building worked really hard and compared to a lot of other teams we did interesting things with the three guys we brought in.

“I am happy with the squad that is here now.

“About the striking position, everyone is saying that Cyriel has had a big evolution in the last three months, Fabio has already shown good things, he is still adapting, that is normal.

“Kemar is still in the building, I expect him to be fit this this season, we will see if Danilo is back or not at the end of the season, we will not risk him for two or three weeks but he will be in the building next season so we have to take those things into account.

“We also have Zak Lovelace also who has been out injured for three months and he has a bright future.

“So we could have six or seven strikers but you cannot put them all on so you have to take that into account.”

Celtic and Rangers both completed loan signings on a relatively quiet transfer deadline day in the cinch Premiership.

The champions confirmed the capture of Norwich striker Adam Idah while Rangers announced the signing of winger Oscar Cortes from French side Lens.

The 20-year-old Colombian joins on loan for the rest of the season with Rangers holding an option to buy him in the summer.

The Light Blues are reported to have rebuffed interest from Galatasaray in Ridvan Yilmaz after missing out on an immediate bid to sign left-back Jefte from Fluminense, with the Brazilian’s loan club APOEL Nicosia reportedly intent on keeping him until the end of the campaign.

Reports from Italy also claimed Hellas Verona were set to launch a bid to sign striker Cyriel Dessers but there was no movement.

Rangers full-back Adam Devine moved on loan to Motherwell.

The arrival of 22-year-old Republic of Ireland international Idah at Celtic Park followed the departure of Mikey Johnston on loan to West Brom.

Another winger, Marco Tilio, rejoined Melbourne City on loan on Wednesday and David Turnbull was set to follow the two wingers out of Celtic Park with Cardiff expecting to wrap up a permanent transfer for the midfielder.

Celtic’s only other January signing was German winger Nicolas Kuhn.

Kilmarnock confirmed the loan signing of Kevin van Veen after fending off competition from Motherwell and St Mirren for the Dutch striker.

Van Veen scored 29 goals for Motherwell last term but the Fir Park side missed out on taking him back after failing to match Killie and St Mirren’s financial input.

The 32-year-old scored five goals for Groningen earlier this season but lost his place in the team after a disagreement with the manager and was keen to return to Scotland to be with his family.

Hibernian signed two young centre-backs on loan, landing Nectarios Triantis from Sunderland and Owen Bevan from Bournemouth until the end of the season.

Dundee landed Norwich goalkeeper Jon McCracken on loan after a temporary spell was halted in August following the signing of Trevor Carson.

Midfielder David Carson joined Livingston on an 18-month deal from Inverness while St Johnstone announced the signing of striker Adama Sidibeh, 25, for an undisclosed fee from Northern Premier League club Warrington Rylands. Jay Turner-Cooke has ended his loan spell in Perth and returned to Newcastle.

Aberdeen are said to have failed in late efforts to sign a centre-back while Hearts completed their business ahead of deadline day.

Ross County signed former Grimsby right-back Michee Efete on a deal until the end of the season.

Outside of the top flight, Queen’s Park head coach Callum Davidson believes he has pulled off “a bit of a coup” by signing 32-year-old former Liverpool, Rangers and Scotland defender Danny Wilson from Colorado Rapids.

Lowland League side Albion Rovers sold striker Joe Bevan to Premier League Burnley for an undisclosed fee. The 19-year-old scored 15 goals for Rovers after joining from Camelon 12 months ago.

Rangers have announced the signing of Colombian winger Oscar Cortes from French side Lens.

The 20-year-old joins on loan for the rest of the season with Rangers holding an option to buy him in the summer.

The Light Blues are reported to have rebuffed interest from Galatasaray in Ridvan Yilmaz after missing out on an immediate bid to sign left-back Jefte from Fluminense, with the Brazilian’s loan club APOEL Nicosia reportedly intent on keeping him until the end of the campaign.

Reports from Italy also claimed Hellas Verona were set to launch a bid to sign striker Cyriel Dessers.

Mikey Johnston has left Celtic to join West Brom on loan as Brendan Rodgers trimmed his squad ahead of the deadline.

Marco Tilio rejoined Melbourne City on loan on Wednesday and David Turnbull was set to follow the two wingers out of Celtic Park with Cardiff expecting to wrap up a permanent transfer for the midfielder.

Celtic were still to announce the the loan signing of Norwich and Republic of Ireland striker Adam Idah as the transfer window moved into its final hours after the 22-year-old arrived in Glasgow on Wednesday.

Kevin van Veen is on his way to Kilmarnock on a loan deal until the end of the season after the Ayrshire club fended off competition from Motherwell and St Mirren for the Dutch striker.

Van Veen scored 29 goals for Motherwell last term but the Fir Park side missed out on taking him back after failing to match Killie and St Mirren’s financial input.

The 32-year-old scored five goals for Groningen earlier this season but lost his place in the team after a disagreement with the manager and was keen to return to Scotland to be with his family.

Hibernian signed two young centre-backs on loan, landing Nectarios Triantis from Sunderland and Owen Bevan from Bournemouth until the end of the season.

Dundee landed Norwich goalkeeper Jon McCracken on loan after a temporary spell was halted in August following the signing of Trevor Carson.

Midfielder David Carson joined Livingston on an 18-month deal from Inverness while Motherwell sealed a loan deal for Rangers full-back Adam Devine.

St Johnstone announced the signing of striker Adama Sidibeh, 25, for an undisclosed fee from Northern Premier League club Warrington Rylands. Jay Turner-Cooke has ended his loan spell in Perth and returned to Newcastle.

Aberdeen are said to have failed in late efforts to sign a centre-back while Hearts completed their business ahead of deadline day.

Ross County signed former Grimsby right-back Michee Efete on a deal until the end of the season.

Outside of the top flight, Queen’s Park head coach Callum Davidson believes he has pulled off “a bit of a coup” by signing 32-year-old former Liverpool, Rangers and Scotland defender Danny Wilson from Colorado Rapids.

Lowland League side Albion Rovers sold striker Joe Bevan to Premier League Burnley for an undisclosed fee. The 19-year-old scored 15 goals for Rovers after joining from Camelon 12 months ago.

Philippe Clement is happy to have a selection headache after Rangers closed the gap on cinch Premiership leaders Celtic with a commanding 3-0 win over Hibernian.

Defender Ridvan Yilmaz and midfielder Todd Cantwell gave the visitors a two-goal interval lead at Easter Road with substitute Cyriel Dessers adding a third in the second half to leave the Light Blues five points behind their Old Firm rivals with one game in hand.

Keeper Jack Butland chipped in with some crucial saves but Clement spoke in glowing terms about his whole squad.

“It is about everybody,” said the Rangers boss, who reiterated his earlier statement that Abdallah Sima would be out for “between two and three months” after having an operation on his thigh.

“To be honest, after a game like this, I don’t even remember who scored the goals because for me it is not important who scores.

“It’s scoring as a team and it is the same with Jack. He makes the saves because the other guys will get red cards if they make saves with their hands.

“But, for example, John (Souttar) also made a really good save with his chest. It’s a team effort. That’s what we wanted to create a few months ago. To see a team all the time on the pitch and the guys are doing that now.

“I hope also after several victories they keep on understanding where it is coming from. It is not falling out of the sky.

“It is about a lot of effort, a lot of solidarity and not having too big an ego to play for yourself.

“So I am going to be really strict on that and to look at the team and making team decisions.

“I told them after training yesterday [Tuesday] they give me quite a headache for the moment to pick a starting 11.

“But it is a good thing. I hope they give me a lot of headaches the next couple of months.”

Before the game Clement revealed the extent of Sima’s injury.

The 22-year-old Senegal international, who has scored 15 goals since arriving on loan from Brighton in the summer, was sent home from the Africa Cup of Nations after picking up the injury in training.

Clement told Rangers’ official website: “Abdallah had his operation and the surgeon was really happy with the way it went.

“It was a good operation, everything went well and he will be out for between two and three months.

“He is positive, he is someone who is always working hard and we expect him to be back as fast as possible in a healthy way and we can count on him at the end of the season.”

Hibs boss Nick Montgomery was left ruing some missed opportunities.

He said: “Myziane (Maolida) has a chance from six yards and it’s a top save from the goalkeeper.

“Those are the moments that change games. If that goes in it’s 2-1 the crowd lifts and I’m pretty sure we could have got back into the game. We would have been right in the ascendency.

“If you don’t take your chances you are going to start chasing the game and you can’t do that against a team like Rangers.”

Rangers closed the gap on cinch Premiership leaders Celtic with an impressive 3-0 win over Hibernian at Easter Road.

Defender Ridvan Yilmaz hammered in the opener for the Light Blues on the half-hour mark before midfielder Todd Cantwell arrowed in an unstoppable shot seconds before the break.

The quality of the goals was at odds with the error-strewn first 45 minutes and striker Cyriel Dessers added a third in the 74th minute soon after climbing off the bench to take his tally for the season to 11.

Hibs spurned some chances but ultimately Philippe Clement’s side moved five points behind their Old Firm rivals with one game in hand.

The home side went into the game looking for their first league win in four games and new boy Myziane Maolida, who joined on loan from Hertha Berlin last week, made his debut with fellow new signings Luke Amos and Emiliano Marcondes on the bench.

Nick Montgomery made five changes in total with Kanayo Megwa, Dylan Vente, Dylan Levitt and Jordan Obita also coming in.

The visitors had to contend with the absence of suspended centre-back Connor Goldson, his place taken by John Souttar with number one goalkeeper Jack Butland taking over from Robby McCrorie and a first competitive start for new loan signing Fabio Silva, in for Dessers.

As the smoke still cleared from the pyros displayed by the Gers fans, Hibs attacker Elie Youan’s angled-drive from a Levitt pass was blocked by the legs of Butland at his near post for a corner which came to nothing.

Gers winger Rabbi Matondo just failed to get on to the end of a Yilmaz corner which had been flicked on to the back post.

The game drifted through the first half but burst into life when Gers midfielder John Lundstram picked out Yilmaz with a chipped pass and the Turkish left-back lashed a shot high past keeper David Marshall from 12 yards for his first league goal for Rangers.

Hibs had chances to level. Butland saved again at his near post, this time from Jair Tavares and then Youan headed a Joe Newell free-kick inches wide before testing Butland with a drive from the edge of the box which was tipped over for another fruitless corner.

Hibs were well in the game but their task became more difficult when Cantwell, who had been quiet, took a pass from winger Ross McCausland and thundered a drive from the edge of the box past the diving Marshall for his third goal in five matches.

The former Norwich player and Nico Raskin stayed in at the break, replaced by Tom Lawrence and Dujon Sterling but Rangers started the second half in a strong position.

However, in the 52nd minute Maolida should have reduced the deficit from 14 yards after Youan had set him up with a cut-back but his drive was saved by Butland.

Marcondes, who joined Hibs from Bournemouth on Monday, replaced Maolida to make his debut with Jimmy Jeggo on for Newell.

Before long midfielder Luke Amos, signed earlier in the day on an 18-month contract after leaving QPR at the end of last season, also came on to make his debut.

However, it was Gers substitute Dessers, just on for Silva, who trundled the ball over the line from 10 yards despite the efforts of defender Will Fish to clear, and there was time for Lawrence to stab the ball into the net from a Jack cross before being ruled offside.

Philippe Clement insists he will not be left short in the left-back position for the season’s run-in amid speculation about Ridvan Yilmaz’s future.

Reports claim the Ibrox club rejected a loan-to-buy offer in the region of €4m (£3.4million) from Galatasaray for the 22-year-old Turkey international, who has also been linked with Hellas Verona.

The Light Blues’ other left-back, fit-again Borna Barisic, is out of contract at the end of the season.

Speaking after the 2-2 friendly draw with FC Copenhagen at Ibrox – where goals from Rabbi Matondo and Cyriel Dessers was cancelled by a Kevin Diks header and a Johnly Yfeko own goal – the Rangers boss addressed the speculation about Yilmaz.

Clement also revealed that the injury midfielder Kieran Dowell picked up in the club’s January training camp in Spain is set to keep him out for two months.

Clement said: “For every player at Rangers, if there comes an offer that cannot be refused or is a good thing for the club then we need to discuss it.

“At the moment that is not the case. Ridvan is here and he started the game.

“We will see. Players also need to show they really want to be here in the next couple of months.

“We need to be prepared for everything, for every position also and make sure that we have solutions.

“That is one position that we have two players. One is end of contract, the other one there is a lot of rumours around.

“So it is clear that we need to be ready for that position. We cannot go on in three competitions with one left full-back. That is correct. And in other positions it is the same.”

Clement was pleased to see Ryan Jack, Tom Lawrence and Barisic get some game time in the second half against the Danish side after recovering from their respective injuries but Dowell is a concern.

The midfielder has made just 11 appearances for the Light Blues since joining on a free transfer from Norwich this summer.

Ahead of the Scottish Cup tie against Dumbarton on Saturday, Clement said: “Kieran Dowell was not here because he got injured in La Manga.

“He will be out for several weeks, I think around two months.

“That’s long term and that’s a big blow.”

Philippe Clement is looking for Rangers to get back to their best against St Mirren on Sunday following their Europa League struggle against Aris Limassol.

A 1-1 draw with the Cypriot side at Ibrox on Thursday night means Group C will go to the final round of fixtures, with the Light Blues taking on Real Betis in Spain on December 14 knowing that only a victory can guarantee progress in that tournament, with a Europa Conference League spot secured as an insurance policy.

Rangers turn their attention back to cinch Premiership duty with the visit of third-placed Saints, and Clement’s side will be looking to keep the pressure on leaders Celtic, who are eight points ahead at the top of the table having played a game more.

The Gers boss said: “It was the first time that I felt real disappointment in the dressing room, they were not happy with their performance.

“That is a good thing that they were not happy with their performance, but now we need to stand up on Sunday and show our best level, with what we are going to need to win that game.

“It is about making the mind-switch really fast every time and not to lose confidence for whatever reason, and go full out and get the three points from the first second the game starts.

“St Mirren will make a wall and make transitions and set-pieces like we have a lot of games in the Scottish league. So there will not be a big difference in that way and they are going to fight.

“For them, games against Rangers are maybe the biggest game of the season, so we know that.”

Defenders Leon Balogun and Ridvan Yilmaz are back in contention after missing the Aris Limassol match as they are not in the European squad.

Centre-back Connor Goldson returns from suspension and winger Scott Wright could be back from illness and a muscle problem, but Ryan Jack (unspecified injury) and fellow midfielder Nico Raskin (knee) are still out.

Clement is likely to make changes for the visit of the Buddies.

He said: “We have work to do but we are nine games together and we haven’t lost any.

“I can tell the fans that everyone is working hard to raise the level.

“With all the injuries, it was impossible for all the players to play at their best level. We play every three days and we can’t always have the same XI so we need to rotate players.”

Philippe Clement praised his revamped Rangers side for their second-half response against Sparta Prague which earned a valuable Europa League point.

With Borna Barisic and Dujon Sterling injured and Ridvan Yilmaz not in the European squad, the new Gers boss had no natural left-back available which meant a change to a back-three with prolific attacker Abdallah Sima playing left wing-back.

The visitors were fortunate to go into the break with their goal intact as Sparta dominated but there was a gradual improvement in the second half with substitute Danilo having a shot tipped on to the bar by Peter Vindahl late in the game which ended goalless.

Clement said: “The second half was much better. In the end it was a game that was in the balance, the first half for Sparta, the second half for us.

“But I am happy with the reaction in the second half. It has been a very special week, losing three left full-backs and because of that we had to change the system and doing that with two training sessions is very difficult for any team in the world.

“If you have time to prepare on those things it is different but that was not the case.

“So I am really happy after showing images at half-time, where the spaces were and what we had to do, that it was much better in the second half where we dominated in the chances and in the end we could say we could win the game because there were two really great saves from the goalkeeper.

“It is a very important point. Getting points away from home is really important but I am a winner, I want to win always and I want the team to have the same mentality.

“I saw it after the game, they were disappointed that they didn’t win and that is the mentality we need in the next couple of months but in the circumstances we can be happy with a point against a team that plays really good football, a team with a lot of quality.

“The reaction in the second half was good and we need to build on that.”

Rangers are now on four points from three Group C fixtures ahead of Sparta Prague’s visit to Ibrox on November 9 albeit Clement’s focus is on the visit of Hearts in the cinch Premiership on Sunday.

The Belgian, whose tenure at Ibrox began with a 4-0 cinch Premiership win over Hibernian at the weekend, highlighted the performance of Sima, on loan from Brighton, saying: “Sima played a really important role as wing-back, which he is not used to playing and he did a great job defensively for the team.

“We want to see a team fight for each other until the edge and over the edge to keep clean sheets and that is two clean sheets in a row and if you do that you take a lot of points in the season but I don’t want a team that only play for clean sheets and only defends to keep clean sheets.

“I want a team that plays good football and creates chances like they showed in the second half.”

Rangers played second fiddle to Sparta Prague for most of their Europa League clash in the Czech Republic before leaving with a point in a goalless draw.

Philippe Clement’s tenure as Gers boss began with a convincing 4-0 win over Hibernian at Ibrox on Saturday but he had to rely on keeper Jack Butland to keep the home side at bay in the first half of the Group C match in which the visitors lacked zip.

There was a marked improvement in the final 20 minutes where Brazilian substitute Danilo hit the bar but Sparta will wonder how they did not win this game early on.

Rangers beat Real Betis 1-0 at Ibrox on match day one before a shock 2-1 defeat by Aris Limassol in Cyprus and are now on four points ahead of Sparta Prague’s visit to Ibrox on November 9, albeit Clement’s focus will first turn to the visit of Hearts on Sunday.

The new Gers boss will have learned more about his players in Prague then he did against Hibs at the weekend and he may have to reassess the way forward.

With Borna Barisic and Dujon Sterling injured and former Gers boss Michael Beale not including Ridvan Yilmaz in the European squad, Clement had no  natural left-back available and had to call on the services of centre-back Ben Davies and change to a back-three with prolific attacker Abdallah Sima playing left wing-back, while Scott Wright made way for fully-fit Todd Cantwell.

The visitors struggled with the change of system.

The Czech champions showed their intent early on and Butland had to makes two great saves within seconds after the ever-dangerous Veljko Birmancevic waltzed into the Gers box to get a shot away before Qazim Laci latched on to the rebound.

Hard-working Sparta were quick and fluid and as they continued to probe the Gers rearguard Laci volleyed just inches wide from the edge of the box uin the 20th minute.

Rangers were offering almost nothing going forward.

When Ibrox midfielder Nico Raskin carelessly gave possession away at the edge of the box on the half-hour mark Butland was required to make another save from Laci’s drive, then Birmancevic hit the side netting with a close-range effort .

Still Sparta kept coming and when Butland parried a powerful drive from Matej Rynes, Gers midfielder John Lundstram got in front of Birmancevic to deny him a tap-in from six yards.

Lundstram’s wayward shot before the break was the only effort on goal from Rangers who needed a vast improvement in the second half.

Dessers had a half chance when Cantwell’s inadvertent pass came over his shoulder in the Sparta box but he was too slow to react and keeper Peter Vindahl gathered easily.

However, the Czech side remained much more dangerous.

In the 55th minute Davies headed away an effort from Martin Vitik two yards from goal then Sparta striker Jan Kuchta missed the target from close range.

Wright took over from Cantwell and in the 72nd minute, as Rangers began to edge forward more, he fired high over the bar from the edge of the box, before Danilo took over from the ineffective Cyriel Dessers.

Rangers at last began to play.

Soon afterwards Vindahl made a good save from a Sam Lammers drive and then tipped a Danilo shot on to the crossbar to ensure the spoils were shared.

Philippe Clement believes immediate improvement is required from Rangers for their Europa League clash with Sparta Prague on Thursday night.

The Belgian began his tenure as Light Blues boss with a convincing 4-0 cinch Premiership win over Hibernian at Ibrox on Saturday.

Clement was pleased enough with the first performance of his new team but will be looking for more in the Czech Republic as Rangers look to get back on the European track following the 2-1 loss to Aris Limassol earlier in the month.

The shock defeat in Cyprus negated a fine 1-0 home win over Spanish side Real Betis, with all four Group C sides on three points going into matchday three.

The Gers manager – without a natural left-back as Borna Barisic and Dujon Sterling are injured and Ridvan Yilmaz is not in the European squad – said: “We need to show a better level than on Saturday because this is a better team.

“They are really good on the ball, good quality players, good structure, good coach, and they are at home which is also different.

“So the whole team needs to be on their toes but I saw good signals in the last two days in training that everybody is up for a great European evening and you know in those evenings you need to be very focused, very concentrated and you need to take your moments.”

The former Belgium defender recalled a good night from two decades ago when he entered the Letna Stadium following the journey from Scotland.

A 1-0 win for the Red Devils in the 2002 World Cup finals play-off against the Czech Republic on November 14, 2001 booked Belgium’s place in South Korea and Japan with a 2-0 aggregate victory.

Asked about his wide European experience while at Genk, Club Brugge and Monaco, Clement said: “It is good to have experience and to know what are the important things in these evenings.

“It is also evenings I like and love, all the vibe around European games, different places, different stadiums.

“And I also had a really good feeling when I went on to the pitch .

“I said to Todd Cantwell when I came in the stadium I recognised the stadium because more than 20 years ago we qualified here with Belgium for the 2002 World Cup, so evenings like that are special.”

Clement, who played with Sparta Prague boss Brian Priske at Club Brugge, will have dig into his squad to plug the hole at left-back.

Barisic went off injured after 10 minutes against Hibs to be replaced by Yilmaz, left out of the European squad by former boss Michael Beale, and with Sterling also injured, right-back Adam Devine or centre-back Ben Davies may be called upon to do a job for the Govan side.

Clement was keeping his cards close to his chest but said: “I look for solutions and it will be another player who will not play in his normal position, to fill that position and do the job for the team.

“You can keep on being negative but someone needs to step in and help the team.

“We hope to get Borna back towards the weekend or at least next week. It is not really a big one but the timing is really bad because Ridvan is not on the list, a decision made before my time so I can’t do anything about that. Dujon is injured also a lot of things have come together.”