JACK SET TO MAKE SHOWDOWN WITH MARIBOR

RANGERS have been boosted by the news that Ryan Jack is likely to be fit to face Maribor tomorrow night. The Ibrox midfielder has been sidelined with concussion after suffering a heavy blow to the head against Aberdeen in the opening Premiership game of the season. Jack (right) was taken to hospital following a clash with Dons striker Stevie May in the 1-1 draw at Pittodrie. However, Rangers boss Steven Gerrard is hopeful the 26-year-old will be available for the second leg of their crucial Europa League qualifier, although both Lassana Coulibaly and Scott Arfield will also face late fitness tests. ‘Ryan is back in full training today, so assuming he gets through today and tomorrow he will be available for selection,’ said Gerrard. ‘It could be a huge boost because I think he is in great form and I think he has played a very important role for us so far. ‘When you are going away from home and you have a slight advantage, you want to put people in your team that are going to help you get a positive result and Ryan comes into that bracket.’ Coulibaly — on loan from French side Angers — limped off late on against St Mirren on Sunday with a slight knock, while fellow summer signing Arfield is also expected to travel to Slovenia after sitting out the weekend 2-0 win at Ibrox. ‘Lassana has recovered quite well and we don’t think it is a big issue,’ said Gerrard. ‘We think it is maybe more down to fatigue. He has posted some very big numbers in the last couple of games, in terms of distances and high speed, so I think it is just his body letting him know he might need a little bit of a break at some point. ‘It is a big game on Thursday and we will have to wait and see what he is like in the next 48 hours before we make a decision. ‘Scott was just rested at the weekend. He had two or three weeks out with his knee and then he came back and played two full games. One of them was with ten men against Aberdeen. ‘We had to protect him at the weekend. Thankfully, we got a win and actually rested him, which is good.’ Meanwhile, Rangers have called a general meeting of shareholders to approve a new share issue. Chairman Dave King and the board have been expected to address the issue of shares for a number of months. A statement on the club website said: ‘Rangers International Football Club PLC has today called a General Meeting (GM) of its shareholders at 9.30 a.m. on Friday 31 August 2018 to approve an issue of shares.’