Glasgow Rangers are back in action in the Scottish Premiership once again as they prepare to face off against Aberdeen at Ibrox this evening.
The Light Blues have won their last five matches in all competitions and will be hoping to continue their fine form when they come up against the Dons, who appointed English boss Neil Warnock this week.
They secured a 1-1 draw with Celtic on Saturday, shortly before the former Huddersfield and Cardiff manager came through the door, and will be hoping for back-to-back Old Firm scalps.
Philippe Clement's side, on the other hand, head into this game off the back of a convincing 3-0 win over bottom-of-the-league Livingston at the weekend.
Goals from Fabio Silva, who scored his first for the club, Rabbi Matondo, and Todd Cantwell sealed all three points for the Scottish giants at Ibrox.
With games coming thick-and-fast at the moment, the Belgian head coach may look to rotate his squad in order to avoid burnout and to keep players fresh and ready for action when called upon.
The former AS Monaco boss must, now, unleash Ridvan Yilmaz from the start alongside Matondo on the left flank, after the Light Blues managed to keep hold of him during the January transfer window.
How close Ridvan Yilmaz came to leaving Rangers
Speculation over the Turkey international's future in Glasgow rumbled on throughout the month and through to deadline day at the start of February.
It was reported towards the end of January that Yilmaz had agreed personal terms with Turkish giants Galatasaray ahead of a possible move back to his home country.
That came after the Gers had already rejected an offer from the Super Lig side. They reportedly attempted to sign the left-back on loan with an option to make it permanent for around £3.4m, which was not tempting enough for the Light Blues to cash in.
The Daily Record revealed on deadline day that the club turned down another bid from Galatasaray as they were not willing to budge on their £4m valuation of the full-back.
A move to Italy was also on the cards at one stage but it was reported that Yilmaz turned down an offer to join Serie A side Hellas Verona in January.
In the end, based on what was reported, the exciting defender did not come particularly close to leaving Rangers at any point throughout the January transfer window.
No offers were accepted by the Scottish giants, no medical was completed with any club, and no contract was signed to join another team. It was merely interest and rejected offers from Verona and Galatasaray, albeit Yilmaz was seemingly willing to join the Turkish giants had they been able to agree a deal with the Gers.
Irrespective of how it happened, Rangers still have him in their squad and available for selection until the summer transfer window at the earliest.
Clement must now make use of the 22-year-old whiz and unleash him from the start against Aberdeen this evening to combine with Matondo on the left flank.
Matondo's exciting displays for Rangers
Abdallah Sima's injury has provided the Wales international with a huge opportunity to nail down a regular spot in the starting XI for the Gers over the weeks to come.
The former Manchester City starlet recently started against Hibernian in the Premiership and caught the eye with a terrific performance on the wing.
Minutes played
78
Goals
Zero
Key passes
Two
Big chances created
Two
Assists
One
As you can see in the table above, Matondo grasped his chance to shine with a sublime outing as a creator, which included an assist for Cyriel Dessers' goal in the 3-0 win.
The 23-year-old whiz was then a late substitute in the 1-0 win over St. Mirren before being named in the starting XI once again for the clash with Livingston on Saturday.
Matondo caught the eye once again with a superb goal and two completed dribbles on the left wing in the 3-0 win for the Gers last weekend.
He cut inside from the left flank and curled a terrific finish into the far bottom corner, leaving the goalkeeper standing like a statue in the middle of the goal as the ball found the back of the net before he could react.
Borna Barisic did provide the assist for the goal, with a pass to the winger, who then cut inside to score from distance, but Yilmaz's statistics this season suggest that he is more likely to provide the forward with quality service on a consistent basis.
Ridvan Yilmaz's creative quality in the Premiership
The Turkey international has already started more Premiership matches (11) than he did in the whole of last season (eight) and his improved performances reflect his increased minutes on the pitch.
Last term, Yilmaz, who was hailed as a "high-quality" player by former sporting director Ross Wilson, produced two assists and created one 'big chance' in nine appearances and eight starts in the top-flight, along with 0.7 key passes per game.
The left-footed wizard has featured in 16 league matches, starting 11 of those, and contributed with one assist and created four 'big chances' to go along with 1.7 key passes per game this season.
Starts
11
11
Big chances created
One
Four
Assists
Three
One
Key passes
26
27
Dribbles completed per game
0.2
1.3
Dribble success rate
25%
65%
As you can see in the table above, the Turkish full-back has provided more quality in the final third, despite being rewarded with fewer assists, as he has created more high-quality opportunities for his teammates and burst past opposition defenders far more frequently, with a significantly greater success rate.
The £12k-per-week dynamo is superb at driving forward from a left-back position to create chances for the team's attackers, which is why he could form an exciting link-up with Matondo.
Yilmaz could either provide the winger with opportunities to score or his overlapping threat down the left could distract defenders and leave the Welsh magician with the room he needs to cut in and replicate his superb strike against Livingston at the weekend.
