After securing a memorable 4-2 victory in the first leg, Rangers will welcome Borussia Dortmund to Ibrox on Thursday night for their eagerly-anticipated second-leg encounter in the Europa League playoff round.
The Gers currently boast a two-goal advantage, but they will be wary of the threat the visitors are likely to pose, as the Germans head to Glasgow off the back of a 6-0 victory in the Bundesliga against Borussia Monchengladbach last weekend.
Match preview
© Reuters
Back in 2013, Rangers were competing in the fourth tier of Scottish football at the same time Dortmund were playing in the Champions League final.
Fast forward nine years and Gers supporters were able to witness a special performance from Giovanni van Bronckhorst's men last week, as they surprised everyone in sweeping aside the German giants to take control of the playoff tie.
James Tavernier, Alfredo Morelos and John Lundstram all found the back of the net and an own goal from Dan-Axel Zagadou added a fourth for the visitors, but second-half strikes from Jude Bellingham and Raphael Guerreiro have given Dortmund a fighting chance of a comeback.
Rangers followed up their magnificent win in Germany with an underwhelming 1-1 draw away at Dundee United, a result which has seen them fall three points behind bitter rivals Celtic at the top of the Premiership table.
Nevertheless, Van Bronckhorst and his players will now be focused fully on Thursday's second leg and while their league form has taken a minor dip, their recent record at Ibrox across all competitions will provide them with plenty of confidence; the Gers have won each of their last nine home games by an aggregate score of 22-0 and have also won their last two European home matches by a 2-0 scoreline.
Only one team in Europa League history have failed to qualify from a knockout tie after winning the first leg by two or more goals – Real Betis drew 2-2 with Sevilla in 2014, but lost on penalties despite winning the first leg 2-0. Rangers will be hoping to avoid that and reach the last 16 for the third successive season when they face a fired-up Dortmund outfit in midweek.
© Reuters
As mentioned earlier, Borussia Dortmund responded to their 4-2 defeat against Rangers with an emphatic 6-0 success at home against Monchengladbach last weekend, their biggest victory in any competition since September 2018.
Marco Reus inspired BVB to all three points with two goals and three assists, while Donyell Malen, Marius Wolf, Youssoufa Moukoko and Emre Can were also on the scoresheet.
Dortmund, who sit second in the Bundesliga standings and six points behind leaders Bayern Munich, have now alternated between victory and defeat in each of their last seven matches, an inconsistent run head coach Marco Rose will be keen to rectify.
BVB travel to Glasgow on Thursday having lost four of their seven away matches against Scottish teams in European competition. They have, however, found the back of the net in each of their last 10 away games this season, scoring at least twice on six of these occasions.
With the away goals rule now scrapped from European competition, Rose will be hoping his side have not lost their prolific touch in front of goal as they will need to score at least three if they are to progress to the last 16.
A crisis meeting regarding Rose's tenure as manager was understood to have taken place following the first-leg defeat to Rangers, and although last weekend's Bundesliga win will have provided a much-needed boost, failing to advance from Thursday's playoff tie could put the 45-year-old's job at serious risk.
- L
- W
- D
- W
- D
- W
- L
- W
- W
- W
- W
- D
- L
- L
- W
- L
- W
- L
- W
Team News
© Reuters
Van Bronckhorst has confirmed that Rangers will be without midfielder Aaron Ramsey due to a minor knock, while Ianis Hagi is ruled out for the rest of the season with a knee injury.
Backup goalkeeper Jon McLaughlin missed last weekend's draw at Dundee United with a virus, but even if he is fit to return to Thursday's matchday squad, 40-year-old Allan McGregor is set to continue between the sticks.
Manchester United loanee Amad Diallo has begun as a substitute in three of Rangers' last four matches and the 19-year-old winger may have to settle for place on the bench again in midweek, with Ryan Kent and Scott Arfield set to continue on the flanks and Morelos to lead the line up front.
Borna Barisic was dropped to the bench last weekend, but the Croatian left-back could return at the expense of Calvin Bassey, joining Tavernier, Connor Goldson and Filip Helander in the back four.
As for Borussia Dortmund, star striker Erling Braut Haaland did not travel with the rest of the squad to Glasgow on Wednesday and will continue to recover from a groin injury in Germany.
The visitors will also be without Manuel Akanji (calf), Dan-Axel Zagadou (thigh), Mateu Morey and Marcel Schmelzer (both knee) due to injury, but Thomas Meunier has travelled with the first-team squad and is in contention to feature at Ibrox after recovering from a muscle problem.
Giovanni Reyna, whose father Claudio Reyna played for Rangers between 1999 and 2001, came off in tears after half an hour against Monchengladbach; however, the American's muscle injury is not as serious as first feared, but he will be sidelined for the trip to Glasgow.
Rose began with a four-man defence in the first leg, but – as he did last weekend – the Dortmund boss may start with three at the back on Thursday, with Marin Pongracic joining Mats Hummels and Emre Can at centre-back.
Julian Brandt could replace Reyna in the first XI, starting alongside Reus in an advanced midfield role behind lone striker Donyell Malen, who ended his eight-game goal drought in all tournaments with a strike last weekend.
Rangers possible starting lineup:
McGregor; Tavernier, Goldson, Helander, Barisic; Lundstram, Jack, Aribo; Arfield, Morelos, Kent
Borussia Dortmund possible starting lineup:
Kobel; Can, Hummels, Pongracic; Hazard, Bellingham, Dahoud, Guerreiro; Brandt, Reus; Malen
We say: Rangers 1-2 Borussia Dortmund (Rangers to win 5-4 on aggregate)
Dortmund will be fired up for Thursday's second leg and even without the services of Haaland, the visitors are sure to pose a threat in the final third.
The visitors may do enough to win on the night, but we are predicting Rangers to edge through to the last 16 on aggregate in front of a raucous Ibrox crowd.
Top tip
Data Analysis
Our analysis of all available data, including recent performances and player stats up until an hour before kickoff, suggested the most likely outcome of this match was a Rangers win with a probability of 46.33%. A win for Borussia Dortmund had a probability of 34.73% and a draw had a probability of 18.9%.
The most likely scoreline for a Rangers win was 2-1 with a probability of 6.44%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 3-2 (5.73%) and 3-1 (5.32%). The likeliest Borussia Dortmund win was 1-2 (5.6%), while for a drawn scoreline it was 2-2 (6.94%). The actual scoreline of 2-2 was predicted with a 6.9% likelihood.
