Premiership giants Rangers will be looking to build on their recent victory in the Old Firm derby by winning their first match of this season’s Europa League group stages. The Ibrox club are set to go up against Belgian outfit Standard Liege on Thursday at the renowned Stade Maurice Dufrasne. Steven Gerrard’s men have been in a decent run of form over recent weeks, with the win against fiercest rivals Celtic coming as the final piece to the puzzle. The amount of confidence that the win gave them could be unquantifiable, which means that they could be in high spirits for this tie.
The Gers have already shown that they’ve got the squad to compete on multiple fronts this season, with Gerrard having ample flexibility in most areas of the pitch. Despite facing a flurry of untimely injuries towards the start of the season, those names have all gradually been making their way back into the team. Although the Premiership is likely to be their main focus, it wouldn’t take anything away from their ambition of putting up a good show in Europe. Expect Rangers not to hold anything back and go all out to try and win this match.
Team News
The Ibrox club have been getting a lot of positive news with regard to injury updates over recent weeks, as various long-term absentees have now seemingly made their way back into the side. One of the most important names who has recently returned to action is Ryan Jack, and the Scot is likely to make his first European start since that injury during this tie. Other recent returnees include Joe Aribo and Brandon Barker, both of whom could have to do with places on the bench for this outing however. Kemar Roofe is one player who is unlikely to play any part.
Here Is The Predicted 4-3-3 Rangers Lineup Vs Standard Liege:
Predicted 4-3-3 Rangers Lineup Vs Standard Liege
Defence
With European football on the agenda, the likelihood of Gerrard replacing the man between the sticks is extremely bleak. This means that Jon McLaughlin will have to do with a spot on the bench again, with veteran keeper Allan McGregor retaining his place in the side. In front of him, expect the same back-two that started the game against Celtic to continue. Connor Goldson and Filip Helander are expected to keep their roles in the heart of the defence, with James Tavernier and Borna Barisic taking up the wide areas as usual.
Midfield
This is the area of the pitch where Gerrard is likely to make one of his two predicted changes to the eleven. Ryan Jack, surprisingly, didn’t start the Old Firm derby on the weekend, because he presumably isn’t quite up to speed yet. This European encounter would present him the perfect opportunity to try and get back to full flow. Glen Kamara was arguably the man of the match against the Celts, and he is likely to start alongside the Scot in the core of the team. Considering the form that Scott Arfield has been showing, the likelihood of him being dropped from the eleven is rather bleak too.
Attack
Brandon Barker, who had only recently returned from injury, was given the nod on the right flank in the win against Celtic. Despite not influencing the fixture too much, Barker did well down the flank. However, Gerrard could drop him down to the bench in favour of Ianis Hagi for this Europa League clash. The Romanian will be tasked with providing width down the right side, with former Liverpool man Ryan Kent operating over on the left side. With Kemar Roofe seemingly unavailable for selection, Alfredo Morelos is expected to start in the striking position once again.
