Lothar Matthaus: Rangers have no hope of beating Borussia Dortmund in Europa League
Rangers will be easily swept aside by Borussia Dortmund in the Europa League, according to German legend Lothar Matthaus.
The Bears have been drawn against the Bundesliga side in the knockout round playoffs of this season’s competition.
The first leg will be played at Signal Iduna Park on 17 February, with the second leg taking place at Ibrox a week later.
In his latest column for Sky Sports Germany (14 December), Matthaus admitted he would be shocked if Dortmund did not progress.
“BVB is a very clear and big favourite against Glasgow Rangers,” he said. “This is an absolute top lot for Dortmund. If spectators are allowed, fans and players can enjoy a great atmosphere.
“From a sporting point of view, I see Dortmund’s 90:10 advantage. Anything but advancement would surprise me very much.”
Don’t write the Gers off
Facing Dortmund is no doubt a daunting task for Rangers, but it would be naïve to write them off before a ball has been kicked.
Aside from Barcelona, coming up against Marco Roses’s side was probably the hardest tie that the Bears could have asked for.
Erling Haaland – who has scored 17 goals in 14 appearances this season – is the key dangerman, but the likes of Marco Reus and Jude Bellingham will also be hard to stop.
But Rangers will go into the tie with the pressure completely off them. No one is expecting them to progress so they should play with freedom and no fear.
If they can stay in the tie in the first leg in Germany, it could be anyone’s game in the second leg as Dortmund will not enjoy coming to Ibrox.
Stranger things have happened and victory would be even sweeter having been written off.
In other Rangers news, this Sky Sports man has revealed the Bears player “galvanised” by Giovanni van Bronckhorst.