Rangers vs Genk preview: Team news, lineup, prediction
Rangers will look to build on their 2-0 win vs Hibernian with another solid performance against Genk in the Europa League on Thursday night.
The Gers begin their European league campaign against the struggling Belgian side at Ibrox.
Russell Martin has been under severe pressure over the past few weeks, with fans turning against him after the 9-1 aggregate loss to Club Brugge in the Champions League qualifiers in August.
Martin must turn his side’s full attention to the Europa League as it provides a way for Rangers to qualify automatically for next year’s Champions League.
Genk visit Ibrox in search of their first clean sheet of the season, with the club sitting 14th in the Juliper Pro League.
Ahead of Thursday’s clash, Ibrox News has provided you with everything you need to know below.
Form guide (all competitions)
Rangers: DLDLW
Genk: LWDLL
Team news
The return of Nico Raskin to the Rangers squad has boosted the mood of supporters, and he looks likely to be partnered with Connor Barron in the middle of the park.
The impressive Derek Cornelius is set to retain his place alongside John Souttar, whilst Youssef Chermiti will likely have to wait for his first Rangers start following Bojan Miovski’s goals against Hibs on Saturday.
Antman looked dangerous in European action last month, and he could feature over the struggling Mikey Moore.
Rangers have no fresh injury concerns, yet Max Aarons is suspended following his red card in Brussels.
For the visitors, young star Konstantinos Karetsas remains sidelined with a back injury, yet summer signing Daan Heymans could return to the fold, having missed this weekend’s 2-1 loss to Union Saint-Gilloise.
Predicted lineups
Rangers: Butland; Tavernier, Cornelius, Souttar, Meghoma; Raskin, Barron; Antman, Aasgaard, Gassama; Miovski
Genk: Lawal; El Ouhadi, Sadick, Smets, Ditu; Heymans, Steuckers, Heynen; Ito, Hyun-Gyu Oh, Adeji-Sternberg
Prediction: Rangers 2-2 Genk
A draw could spell the end of Martin’s Rangers career, yet Genk’s attack could pose problems for the Light Blues.
| Games played | 10 |
| Goals scored | 16 |
| Goals conceded | 14 |
| Wins | 3 |
| Draws | 2 |
| Losses | 5 |
With both sides struggling to keep things tight at the back, a high-scoring match would seem likely.
Martin and Genk head coach Thorsten Fink are under heavy pressure to win Thursday’s clash, and it wouldn’t be a surprise to see both managers unhappy with the full-time result.
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