Rangers will be looking to claim their first win of the Champions League group stage when they make the trip to Anfield to take on Liverpool on Tuesday.
The visitors have lost both of their opening two matches and can ill-afford another defeat if they are to remain in the competition.
With Liverpool’s 2-1 victory over Ajax last month representing their only win in their last four matches across all competitions, Jurgen Klopp may be relieved to have a European fixture on the horizon when Rangers visit Merseyside in midweek.
Liverpool showed great character to turn a 2-0 deficit around by leading Brighton & Hove Albion 3-2 at Anfield on Saturday, but they could not hold onto a crucial victory as Leandro Trossad sealed his hat-trick late on in the game.
That stalemate leaves Liverpool with just two wins from seven league matches so far this season, but they will hope to make up ground on Napoli in Group A by defeating Rangers on Tuesday.
With Ajax and Napoli facing each other back-to-back in the next two matchdays, Klopp will be targeting six points from their two fixtures against Rangers, who undoubtedly represent the weakest team in the group.
Meanwhile, Rangers were ruthless in beating Hearts 4-0 away from home at the weekend, with a Cameron Delvin red card after 39 minutes leaving the hosts in a spot of bother considering Antonio Colak had already bagged a brace.
Alfredo Morelos and Ryan Kent sealed the victory after the break, but Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s attention will quickly return to Europe, where his side failed to impress so far this season following a glorious run to the Europa League final last campaign.
A trip to Anfield is not ideal for Bronckhorst’s side, but their out of sorts opponents could struggle to deal with Rangers’ intensity.
Liverpool vs Rangers head to head
These two teams have previously met on just one occasion in a friendly game, where Rangers won 1-0 at home back in October 2011. This will be their first meeting in a competitive match in the Champions League group stage.
Rangers 1-0 Liverpool 18/10/11
Liverpool latest home form
Liverpool have recently been on a relatively good run of form at home, having been unbeaten in their five most recent matches. They drew 3-3 with Brighton & Hove Albion in their last home game in the league. In their last five matches, they have scored 17 goals and conceded six.
Liverpool 1-1 Crystal Palace 15/08/22
Liverpool 9-0 AFC Bournemouth 27/08/22
Liverpool 2-1 Newcastle United 31/08/22
Liverpool 2-1 Ajax 13/09/22
Liverpool 3-3 Brighton & Hove Albion 01/10/22
Liverpool latest away form
Liverpool have recently failed to keep a good run of form on the road, having been winless in their five most recent matches. They lost 4-1 to Napoli in their last away game in the Champions League. In their last five matches, they have scored four goals and conceded nine.
Salzburg 1-0 Liverpool 27/07/22
Fulham 2-2 Liverpool 06/08/22
Manchester United 2-1 Liverpool 22/08/22
Everton 0-0 Liverpool 03/09/22
Napoli 4-1 Liverpool 07/09/22
Rangers latest home form
Rangers have recently been on a relatively good run of form at home, having lost just one of their eight most recent matches. They managed to defeat Dundee United 2-1 in their last home game in the league. In their last five matches, they have scored 11 goals and conceded seven.
Rangers 2-2 PSV 16/08/22
Rangers 4-0 Ross County 27/08/22
Rangers 3-1 Queen of the South 30/08/22
Rangers 0-3 Napoli 14/09/22
Rangers 2-1 Dundee United 17/09/22
Rangers latest away form
Rangers have recently kept a mixed run of form on the road, as they have won just two of their five most recent matches. They managed to defeat Hearts 4-0 in their last away game in the league. In their last five matches, they have scored seven goals and conceded 10.
Hibernian 2-2 Rangers 20/08/22
PSV 0-1 Rangers 24/08/22
Celtic 4-0 Rangers 03/09/22
Ajax 4-0 Rangers 07/09/22
Hearts 0-4 Rangers 01/10/22
Liverpool news
Scotland left-back Andy Robertson will miss out on Tuesday’s contest with a knee issue, but he could make a return to Liverpool’s squad for the weekend’s rip to Arsenal.
Harvey Elliott, Luis Diaz, Diogo Jota and Darwin Nunes will provide offensive options to freshen up the squad for the Reds.
Rangers news
Rangers will travel without James Sands, who must serve a one-game suspension following his dismissal against Napoli, while Ben Davies could partner Connor Goldson in defence.
Morelos could replace Colak in attack, while Steven Davis is likely to be called upon in midfield for his experience and calm head in possession.
Prediction and Odds
Liverpool possess the capability to cut loose against Rangers, who appear to be lacking quality to be able to properly compete in Group A.
The Reds are clearly lacking confidence at present after a poor start to the campaign, but Tuesday’s contest could be the start of a long road to recovery for them.
Odds: 1 1.89 X 2.05 2 2.30
Probable outcomes
Liverpool 1-0 Rangers
Liverpool 2-0 Rangers
Liverpool 2-1 Rangers
Liverpool 3-0 Rangers
Liverpool 3-1 Rangers
