Rangers would be confident of a positive result when they travel to Slovenia to take on Maribor in the second leg of the third round of Europa League qualifiers. The Gers secured a 3-1 win at the Ibrox; however, they would be foolish to get complacent as Maribor gave a good account of themselves away from home.
The Gers are yet to be beaten in the seven games under Steven Gerrard, and they have kept four clean sheets in the process. Even when they have conceded, they have let in just one goal, so one can say that the Light Blues have one foot in the playoff round.
Maribor was supposed to be their sternest test so far but, they crossed the hurdle with flying colours in the first leg. However, Gerrard will be aware that they still need to turn up and put in a shift to wrap the game without any hiccups. Maribor will have to start on the front foot from the off as they need to score at least two goals to get to parity in the tie and that will mean the Gers can sit back and play a counter-attacking game.
Team News
Ryan Jack had suffered a concussion against Aberdeen, and he remains doubtful for this all-important second leg clash. Graham Dorrans, Lee Wallace and Jordan Rossiter are yet to recover from their long-term injuries, and they would not travel with the team to Slovenia.
4-2-3-1 Rangers Predicted Lineup Vs Maribor
Formation (4-2-3-1)
Defence
Experienced Allan McGregor will start in goal, and he will be looking to keep a clean sheet in this all-important encounter. To achieve that, he will be helped by the centre-back pairing of Connor Goldson and Nikola Katic. Both happen to be new signings, and the duo has already formed a formidable partnership at the back in a short space of time.
Jon Flanagan would be in the starting lineup in Slovenia. He will start down the left with James Tavernier reprising his usual right-back role.
Midfield
With the absence of Ryan Jack in midfield, Scott Arfield and Lassana Coulibaly will play in the holding midfield role. With the Teddy Bears being two goals up, both of them would be expected to sit back and protect the lead.
The more creative and attacking onus from midfield will come from Ryan Kent, Ovie Ejaria and Daniel Candeias. Along with attacking outlet, Gerrard will hope that the wingers will help the team out defensively as well.
Attack
Alfredo Morelos was more than handy upfront when these two sides met last time around. He opened the scoring in the sixth minute and also won a penalty in the second half. He would also like to prove a point to the Maribor defender Mitja Viler who launched a scathing attack on him by calling Colombian a ‘dirty player’.
