Match Preview: Tottenham Hotspur face Rangers at the Ibrox Stadium
Tottenham Hotspur take on Rangers on matchday six of the UEFA Europa League when they visit the Ibrox Stadium at 20:00 UK time on Thursday, December 12th. In spite of two successive winless results against Galatasaray and AS Roma over their last couple of continental outings, Spurs remain ninth in the league standings and have a great chance of finishing in the top eight.
Rangers, meanwhile, are a place above the Lilywhites and only lead them owing to a superior goal difference so a win for Tottenham will be enough to put them in a comfortable position as far as qualification is concerned. It is their last EL match of the calendar year before matches against Hoffenheim and Elfsborg in January to conclude the first round of the competition.
Team News
Rangers
The home side comes into the match with only one confirmed absentee. Neraysho Kasanwirjo is set to spend the remainder of the year on the sidelines, while Oscar Cortes, Rabbi Matondo and Tom Lawrence had been doubtful but could make a recovery in time for the visit of Tottenham to Ibrox Stadium. Rangers’ camp has no suspensions.
Their top goal-scorer in the competition is Vaclav Cerny, who has three strikes to his name in the Europa League. He had a barren run at the weekend against Ross County and will look to make amends against Tottenham, so is certain to be a danger man for the home side. At the back, they have conceded six times, the same as Spurs.
PREDICTED RANGERS XI (4-2-3-1): Butland; Tavernier, Souttar, Balogun, Jefte; Hagi, Raskin; Cerny, Barron, Igamane; Danilo
Tottenham Hotspur
Tottenham Hotspur’s injury issues have not gotten any better with Cristian Romero set to be out after suffering a fresh new setback against Chelsea. Guglielmo Vicario, Richarlison and Wilson Odobert are also confirmed absentees, while Micky van de Ven was taken off at the weekend due to a fitness issue, so he could miss the game as a precautionary measure.
Postecoglou would rotate the bulk of his defensive unit, whereas Rodrigo Bentancur’s suspension by the FA is only valid on the domestic front, so he is likely to start in midfield. Offensive, Dominic Solanke has stepped up to the occasion in the Europa League, so his contribution will be vital if the Lilywhites are to see off Rangers.
PREDICTED TOTTENHAM XI (4-3-3): Forster; Gray, Dragusin, Davies, Udogie; Sarr, Bentancur, Maddison; Kulusevski, Solanke, Werner
Match-deciding duel
Jefte vs Dejan Kulusevski
With Brennan Johnson likely to rest as well after feeling unwell against Chelsea, Dejan Kulusevski could move further forward from midfield to feature on the right wing. The Swedish international will be up against a rather inexperienced full back in the Brazilian 20-year-old Jefte, who likes to venture forward, thus leaving gaps at the back. In one-on-ones as well, he isn’t the best.
Kulusevski is likely to be used by Tottenham to exploit Jefte’s weaker aspects and feed balls into the box for Solanke and Werner. When without position, the former Juventus star will need to put in a shift at the back to ensure that Rangers’ full back down his side does not cause much damage, especially after providing an assist in the team’s match last weekend.
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Match prediction
Rangers 1-3 Tottenham Hotspur
The Rangers match is somewhat of a big game for Tottenham Hotspur. While that’s not exactly the case in terms of their standing in the Europa League, the players need to give it their all for the manager and pick up pace in a month that could decide the course of the remainder of their season. They are likely to thrive under significant pressure and earn a laboured victory at the Ibrox Stadium.
