Yahoo Sports Rangers vs Tottenham – Match preview and team news
It’s Scotland vs England in the Europa League tonight, as Tottenham travel to Ibrox to face Rangers.
The two sides have identical records in this competition with three wins, one draw and one loss but Rangers sit one place above Spurs, due to a superior goal difference.
This contest has got an added edge with Tottenham manager Ange Postecoglou previously enjoying a successful spell at Rangers’ arch-rivals Celtic.
MATCHDAY 👊
🆚 Rangers
🏟️ Ibrox
🏆 @EuropaLeague
⏰ 8:00pm GMT pic.twitter.com/HmweZMNH63— Tottenham Hotspur (@SpursOfficial) December 12, 2024
Welsh winger Rabbi Matondo is back in training for the Scottish outfit after being sidelined with a hamstring injury for over three months.
Spurs have an injury crisis in central defence with Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven facing another lengthy spell on the treatment table.
The pair returned to action at the weekend, but both were forced off with Romero suffering a quad injury and Van de Ven experiencing a reoccurrence of a hamstring issue. With Ben Davies also unavailable, that leaves Radu Dragusin as the only fit recognised centre-half for the hectic festive schedule.
Brennan Johnson hasn’t travelled due to illness, but Postecoglou will have Rodrigo Bentancur at his disposal as the Uruguayan’s domestic ban doesn’t apply to European competitions.
Rangers vs Tottenham – Match preview and team news
Form
Rangers: DWWWW
Philippe Clement’s side are looking to make it eight games unbeaten in all competitions by avoiding defeat against Spurs tonight.
Aside from a humiliating 4-1 home loss to Lyon, Rangers have performed exceedingly well in Europe this campaign. Last time out, the Gers put four past Nice away from home with Hamza Igamane netting a brace.
Philippe Clement believes it will be a ‘special night’ at Ibrox Stadium on Thursday.
Click below to read more from the manager 👇
— Rangers Football Club (@RangersFC) December 11, 2024
Their domestic form is a contrast to their European exploits as they are in third position in the Scottish Premiership. They trail Aberdeen by two points and fierce rivals Celtic by 11 points, a huge gap considering the season is still in its infancy. However, they have triumphed in each of their last three league games, scoring 10 and conceding none in the process.
Tottenham: WDDLL
Mediocrity continues at Tottenham Hotspur as the Lilywhites struggle to contend with an extensive injury list.
The Lilywhites are currently wallowing in 11th position in the Premier League, with more losses (7) than wins (6) so far.
It seemed as if Spurs had turned a corner after they found themselves 2-0 up against a high-flying Chelsea at the weekend, but a second-half collapse saw them lose 4-3.
They have only been victorious on one occasion in the last seven matches, that 4-0 drubbing over Manchester City.
During that period, Spurs have defaced their previously pristine record in the Europa League, with a narrow 3-2 loss at Galatasaray and a 2-2 draw with Roma.
Last Meeting: Rangers 2-3 Tottenham, European Cup Winners Cup, 11th December 1962
The last meeting occurred almost 52 years ago to the day and was aptly titled the ‘Battle of Britain’.
Spurs had entered the second leg of the second round with the advantage having thrashed Rangers 5-2 at White Hart Lane. After the match had initially been postponed due to fog in Glasgow, Tottenham returned to Scotland a week later to visit Ibrox.
An early Jimmy Greaves goal and a brace from Bobby Smith saw the Lilywhites progress through to the next round, 3-2 on the night and 8-4 on aggregate. Davie Wilson and Ralph Brand scored for the Scottish side.
Spurs went on to beat Atletico Madrid 5-1 in the final to become the first English club to win a European trophy.
Predicted Lineups
Rangers: Butland; Tavernier, Souttar, Balogun, Jefte; Diomande, Raskin; Cerny, Barron, Igamane; Dessers.
Tottenham: Forster; Porro, Dragusin, Gray, Udogie; Bentancur, Bissouma, Maddison; Kulusevski, Solanke, Werner.
Who is the referee?
Swiss referee Sandro Schärer will be the match official. He will be assisted by Stéphane De Almeida and Jonas Erni while Lionel Tschudi will be the fourth official. The VAR will be Fedayi San and he will be assisted by Tiago Martins.
What channel is Rangers vs Tottenham on?
Rangers vs Tottenham will be shown on TNT Sports 1, TNT Sports Ultimate and Discovery+.
What time is kick-off?
Kick-off at Ibrox Stadium will be at 20:00 GMT on Thursday 12th December 2024.
Odds
Rangers: 23/10
Draw: 29/10
Tottenham: 1/1
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