Former Celtic star Kris Commons believes Joe Aribo is a prime candidate to lead the line for Rangers in their mammoth clash with RB Leipzig.
And the former Scotland international expects Gio van Bronckhorst to use his knowledge of how Pep Guardiola's false nine to give his side an edge in their Europa League semi final first leg.
Rangers know they are 180 minutes away from a place in the Final but will travel to Germany without talisman Alfredo Morelos and in-form Kemar Roofe due to injury.
Fashion Sakala and Scott Wright made their case for inclusion with both impressing in Saturday's 3-1 win over Motherwell at Fir Park.
But Commons expects the Dutchman to think outside the box by giving the Nigeria international a new role against Leipzig.
Speaking to the Daily Mail, he said: "With such a shortage of bodies up front, a lot of people are painting this to be a disaster for Rangers. But I don't think it's necessarily as straightforward as that.
"Listen, it's certainly not ideal. I'm sure Van Bronckhorst would much rather have both Morelos and Roofe fit and available if he had the choice.
"But there are ways around this and ways to compensate for the lack of a front-line striker. Just look at some of the top clubs in Europe. Lots of them regularly play without a recognised No 9.
"Liverpool have done it for years under Jurgen Klopp. They play with a really narrow front three who all constantly move around and interchange positions; basically three wingers given a licence to thrill.
"Manchester City look like they might well win a Premier League title without a proper No 9. They've not had a genuine striker since Sergio Aguero left, but it hasn't stopped them from playing brilliant football.
"Look at Chelsea last season as well. They won the Champions League with Kai Havertz an attacking midfielder by trade operating as a false nine.
"That's the sort of system I think might suit Rangers best in Leipzig and I believe Joe Aribo is the man best suited to playing the false-nine role.
"In terms of his touch and his technical ability, he's a much better player than Sakala. I think a front three of Aribo centrally, with Sakala and Ryan Kent out wide, could cause Leipzig problems.
"Aribo and Kent were rested for Saturday's victory over Motherwell in the Premiership, so they should be fresh and raring to go come Thursday night.
"It's a funny one with Aribo. In the first half of the season, he was one of the best players in the country and looked a decent bet for Player of the Year along with some of the Celtic contingent.
"But he definitely went off the boil when he returned from the Africa Cup of Nations with Nigeria a couple of months ago.
"In saying that, I think he's definitely been finding some form again in recent games. His performances have picked up and he's looking more dangerous."
Commons believes the Guardiola factor could loom large with van Bronckhorst spending time studying the managerial great before he headed to China.
And he is convinced the different approach can reap rewards as Rangers aim to put themselves in a prime position to set up a blockbuster return at Ibrox.
He added: "Van Bronckhorst spent time working with Pep Guardiola at Manchester City and studying his methods, so he won't need any introduction to the false-nine system and how to implement it. Guardiola basically invented it in modern football with the way he deployed Lionel Messi in the great Barcelona side of 2008 to 2012.
"It definitely looks like it will be Rangers' best bet in terms of being able to cause Leipzig some problems.
"Also, it allows for a fluidity of movement. Although it might be Aribo who starts centrally, the system allows him to dovetail with the two players either side of him. Liverpool are the best exponents of that."
