Rangers will be hoping to get their first win of the Champions League season when they host Liverpool at Ibrox on Wednesday. They have suffered three straight defeats in Group A with kickoff at 10 pm.
Rangers’ first season back in the Champions League group stages for 12 years has not exactly gone to plan, with the Gers comprehensively beaten by Ajax and Napoli.
Champions League football was always likely to be a challenging step up in class for the Europa League runners-up.
However, having beaten the likes of Borussia Dortmund and RB Leipzig on their way to the final in Seville last season, Giovanni van Bronckhorst may have expected his players to be more competitive than they have shown this time around.
The Dutchman switched to a back five at Anfield last week, but they were still ripped apart on numerous occasions during the 2-0 defeat.
Liverpool has a much healthier position in Group A than when leaving Naples with a 4-1 defeat in their opening match, but there are still glaring signs of vulnerabilities in Jurgen Klopp’s camp after the Reds’ 3-2 loss to Premier League leaders Arsenal on Sunday.
Liverpool is now 14 points behind Arsenal and trailing Manchester City by only one fewer, making their progression to the Champions League knockout stage all the more important.
Rangers vs. Liverpool Head to Head
Both sides have one game against each other, with the visitors taking the only win. Here is a look at their previous encounters:
Home
- Rangers 4-0 St. Mirren
- Liverpool 2-0 Rangers
- Hearts 0-4 Rangers
- Rangers 2-1 Dundee United
Away
- Arsenal 3-2 Liverpool
- Liverpool 2-0 Rangers
- Liverpool 3-3 Brighton
- Ajax 1-2 Liverpool
Rangers Team News
Van Bronckhorst will be forced to change tactics when Rangers face Motherwell on Wednesday. The Dutchman admitted that a “different approach” will be needed on Wednesday compared to the trip to Anfield last week, suggesting that he will likely revert to a back four.
Liverpool Team News
Liverpool will be without Luis Diaz for the visit of Celtic after the winger suffered a knee injury following a collision with Arsenal’s Thomas Partey late in Sunday’s game at the Emirates Stadium. The Colombia international was pictured leaving North London on crutches with a knee brace, with Klopp admitting that “it doesn’t look good.”
Prediction and Odds
Liverpool should be concerned that Rangers are likely to give them a much tougher match than they did at Anfield last week and will probably win 2-0.
- Liverpool Win
- Correct Score: 0-2
- Goals Under 3.5
