Rohl could drop Diomande by releasing Rangers’ very own Claudio Braga v Hearts

Glasgow Rangers have a big game in the Scottish Premiership title race as they travel to Tynecastle to face league leaders Hearts on Monday evening.

A win for the Light Blues would move them up one place in first place with three games to play, but a defeat would effectively end their title hopes.

The fate of their 2025/26 campaign actually rides on this one game, as it feels like a make or break game for Danny Rohl and his men.

However, in order to get the three points they need from the Jam Tarts, the Gers must find a way to silence their attacking players.

Hearts have a number of impressive players who could wreak havoc on the Rangers defence, including Portugal star Claudio Braga.

How can Rangers keep Claudio Braga quiet?

The 26-year-old has been impressive for Hearts this season, scoring 17 goals in 40 appearances in all competitions, and producing a goal and an assist against the Gers in February.

With Braga serving as his club’s goalkeeper this season, the Portuguese forward is not efficient and has weaknesses that Rangers could exploit.

The right-footed striker loses most of his physical duels on the pitch and tends to lose the ball regularly in each game, suggesting that the Light Blues could force him to change by putting a physical player in him.

Tochi Chukwuani, for example, has won 57% of his matches this season and would be the right choice for Braga to mark to end his physical threat which the Hearts star is not good at dealing with.

While Rangers may silence the striker by using physical activity to silence him, Rohl may unleash his own version of the Premiership star.

Rangers’ £3.5m star could be Danny Rohl’s Claudio Braga

Mohamed Diomande came off the bench to help Youssef Chermiti score against Motherwell last week, but the German coach must keep him on the bench to start his own Braga.

The Ivory Coast midfielder has been an unused substitute in three of the last six games and has not started a league game since February 11, suggesting it would be a risk to drop him from this fixture.

Instead, Thelo Aasgaard must be released again as one of the ten options behind Chermiti and Bojan Miovski, in the same role that Braga played with Lawrence Shankland and Pierre Kabore.

The £3.5m signing from Luton Town last summer has started the last four Premiership games for Rangers, and was one of the standout performers against Motherwell, creating four chances and winning three of his four.

Aasgaard has been in and out of the team at times since his move to Ibrox, but a return of six goals and five assists in 44 games in all competitions this season is far from a bad return in his first season in Scotland.

The Norwegian scored five goals at 4.62 xG and provided four assists from five ‘big chances’ created in 19 league starts for Rangers, reaching a goal or assist every 2.1 starts.

Braga, on the other hand, averaged a goal or an assist in each of his two Premiership appearances for Hearts, with 14 goals and three assists in 34 games.

Aasgaard, like Braga, can play as a number ten or as a central striker, and works best in the pockets of space between the midfield and defence, but he has been consistent as the Hearts star has been in the final third.

The Norwegian talent has produced one goal and two assists in his last four games, while Braga has only two goals and no assists in his last five league games.

Aasgaard comes into this game in better shape than the Portuguese star, and therefore, that is why Rohl has to leave Diomande, despite his help, on the bench to continue to start the former Luton man in the ten role.

If Rangers can keep Braga quiet and get the ball to Aasgaard in dangerous areas enough to make an impact, Rohl’s push for the league title in his first season at Ibrox could continue.