Rangers vs Club Brugge preview: Team news, lineup, prediction
Rangers return to European action at Ibrox when they take on Club Brugge on Tuesday night.
Russell Martin’s side may have struggled domestically so far, but they have managed to overcome both Panathinaikos and Viktoria Plzen over two legs to book their place in the Champions League qualifying playoffs.
If Gers manage to overcome Club Brugge, they will qualify for the group stage of Europe’s premier competition, but with the ever-increasing pressure upon Martin, this will be far from straightforward.
Martin’s men will need to make their home advantage count on Tuesday to give them their best chance of progressing.
Changes to the Light Blues lineup are naturally expected following their win in the Premier Sports Cup against Alloa over the weekend, as Ibrox News preview the big playoff tie.
Form guide (All competitions)
Rangers: DWDLW
Club Brugge: LWWWW
Team news
Unlike against Alloa, Martin will need to pick the strongest side available at his disposal.
Unsurprisingly, Oliver Antman and Djeidi Gassama are expected to provide the width in attack, with the French winger being in particularly good goalscoring form when it comes to Gers’ Champions League qualifiers so far.
Cyril Dessers was described as “touch and go” by Martin in his pre-match press conference, meaning Danilo is likely to lead the line, with Dessers expected to be fully back at the weekend for the game against St Mirren.
Despite being left out against Alloa and the recent uncertainty regarding his future, Nico Raskin is expected to start in the heart of the midfield.
Rangers predicted lineup v Club Brugge
The tie against Brugge is a big one because, with Gers’ poor domestic form, losing the first leg at home could effectively send Rangers crashing out of Europe, putting the manager under even greater pressure.
Joe Rothwell has been an ever-present for Rangers under Martin, but after playing 68 minutes at the weekend and scoring an own-goal, he may be on the bench for the European tie.
It will be interesting to see if the James Tavernier at left-back experiment continues on such a big stage.
Rangers: Butland, Aarons, Djiga, Souttar, Tavernier, Raskin, Diomande, Cameron, Antman, Gassama, Danilo
Prediction: Rangers 2-1 Club Brugge
The Light Blues have done a good job at making Ibrox a fortress so far in the Champions League to give themselves a cushion when they have played the second leg away from home, and that is expected to continue.
- Rangers have yet to concede at Ibrox this season in Champions League qualifying
- They beat Panathinaikos 2-0 and Viktoria Plzen 3-0
With Martin constantly chopping and changing who starts up top, expect Danilo to be hungry to make the most of his opportunity in Dessers’ absence and get himself on the scoresheet.
If the Brugge attack somehow find a way past Jack Butland, Lyall Cameron will be on hand to add a second and ensure Rangers travel to Belgium with a 2-1 lead by the time the second leg rolls around on 27 August.
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