Premiership giants Rangers will be looking to continue their excellent run of form when they welcome Polish heavyweights Lech Poznań to the Ibrox on Thursday night. The Gers are coming into this fixture on the back of three sensational back-to-back wins, with each of them having their own prominence. Last week started with Rangers getting over their fiercest rivals as they secured a 2-0 victory against Celtic. Things got even better for Gerrard’s men in midweek, as another clean-sheet victory against Standard Liege in the Europa League showed them in an excellent light. Their joy was given a further boost on the weekend when they picked up a 2-0 win against Livingston, on the back of Celtic dropping points against Aberdeen.
Team News
Rangers
The Ibrox club didn’t have the best of luck in terms of injuries during the early parts of the season, but that changed drastically as the weeks wore on. The likes of Brandon Barker, Ryan Jack, Joe Aribo and Kemar Roofe all spent spells on the sidelines, but all of them are now back to fitness. While Barker might’ve picked up a further knock ever recent weeks, which makes him a doubt, Gerrard does have a rather strong roster to choose from. The only assured absence is that of Bongani Zungu, as the South African hasn’t featured for the Ibrox club since his loan move from France.
Predicted XI: McGregor; Tavernier, Goldson, Balogun, Barisic; Jack, Kamara; Hagi, Arfield, Kent; Roofe
Lech Poznań
As far as Poznań are concerned, the Polish side don’t currently have too many injury problems to deal with either, with Pedro Tiba the only doubt for this tie. The 32-year-old midfield commander is supposedly unlikely to make the trip to Glasgow, having missed the weekend game due to a minor issue with his thigh. Michael Ishak is likely to retain his place leading the line for the European side, as the striker has been their most important presence in attack so far this season.
Predicted XI: Bednarek; Czerwinski, Satka, Crnomarkovic, Kravets; Muhar, Moder; Skoras, Ramirez, Marchwinski; Ishak
Here Is The Rangers Vs Lech Poznań Tactical Preview:
Rangers Vs Lech Poznań Tactical Preview
Talking Tactics
Rangers
The Ibrox club have been, far and away, the dominant force in all of their last three fixtures, and unless Gerrard deploys a heavily weakened team for this tie, that trend is likely to continue. The Gers are expected to control possession of the ball, to the extent that the midfield duo will conduct the tempo of the fixture right from the off. The wingers’ ability to cut inside and support the striker through the inside channel will be essential to their play, while the centre-halves could be geared up for a relatively quieter night when compared to the last few fixtures. Yes, Ishak could make things hard, but it shouldn’t be any worse than the game from last Thursday.
Lech Poznań
The Polish side are undoubtedly coming into this tie as the underdogs, with their questionable form in the league a cause for concern as well. Poznań currently find themselves in tenth place on the league table, and could hence find the going to be extremely tough against an in-form Rangers side. They could be limited to attacking exclusively through counter-attacks, as playing down the middle of the Rangers defence is probably not the greatest idea. Ishak will have to be at his best in order to give the Gers a challenge. If he is able to frustrate Goldson in defence, then they could be presented with the odd opportunity. Unless they’re able to create spaces for Ishak to run or simply slot into, things are going to be quite strenuous for Poznan in an attacking sense.
Key Men
Rangers
As far as Rangers go, picking the key player for this clash becomes a rather easy matter, especially considering that the competition in question is the Europa League. Kemar Roofe’s unbelievable strike against Standard Liege last week is surely a contender for goal of the season, and his presence will be vital to any success they achieve in this tie.
Lech Poznań
With Poznań too, there’s only one player in there who could singlehandedly spring a surprise on the odd-makers. Michael Ishak, the tall Swede, will have to be at his physical best if the Polish side have any hopes of picking up points from this trip across the English Channel.
