Rangers are looking to bounce back from a dismal 1-0 defeat to Kilmarnock at the weekend when they host Romanian outfit FCSB in the Europa League on Thursday.
Pressure continues to mount on Rangers boss Philippe Clement after a disappointing start to the 2024/25 campaign and the Belgian needs a swift and prolonged upturn in form to save his position in the dugout.
Defeat to Killie meant that the Glasgow giants were unable to take advantage of their fierce rivals Celtic dropping points at home to Aberdeen, with both the Bhoys and the Dons already six points ahead of Rangers as things stand.
Rangers’ most recent Europa League outing only exacerbated the scrutiny that Clement finds himself under at Ibrox. A 4-1 defeat to French side Lyon highlighted the lack of progress made since the former Monaco manager’s appointment.
FCSB – formerly known as Steaua Bucuresti – made a mixed start to 2024/25 but have found some consistency in recent weeks. They have won both their Europa League outings thus far and are unbeaten since late August following nine games without defeat.
Here is 90min’s guide to a crunch clash for Rangers.
Rangers vs FCSB H2H Record (Last Five Games)
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Rangers: 1 win
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FCSB: 2 wins
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Draws: 2
Current form (all competitions)
How to watch Rangers vs FCSB on TV and live stream
Rangers team news
Clement has to get his starting XI right for the visit of the in-form FCSB but he will be without Ridvan Yilmaz, Rabbi Matondo and Oscar Cortes on Thursday. Forward Danilo, who hasn’t played since late August, is close to returning following a knee injury.
Despite the dismal weekend defeat, Clement is unlikely to make sweeping changes to his starting lineup. The return of Tom Lawrence against Kilmarnock will be a huge boost for the Rangers boss, while Nedim Bajrami, Vaclav Cerny and Cyriel Dessers should start alongside the Welshman in the forward line.
Rangers predicted lineup vs FCSB
Rangers predicted lineup vs FCSB (4-2-3-1): Butland; Tavernier, Souttar, Propper, Jefte; Diomande, Raskin; Lawrence, Bajrami, Cerny; Dessers.
FCSB team news
FCSB have an almost entirely clean bill of health heading to Glasgow but will be without captain and chief creator Darius Olaru as he serves a suspension after being sent off against PAOK. Elsewhere, Siyabonga Ngezana is also a doubt with a muscle injury and Adrian Sut is on compassionate leave.
Daniel Birligea is a player that Clement may have to make special plans for on Thursday. The Romanian striker has scored in FCSB’s first two Europa League outings and has now netted in three successive matches.
FCSB predicted lineup vs Rangers
FCSB predicted lineup vs Rangers (4-2-3-1): Tarnovanu; Cretu, Chirices, M. Popescu, Radunovic; Edjouma, Lixandru; Stefanescu, Tanase, Miculescu; Birligea.
Rangers vs FCSB score prediction
Rangers’ recent European home form has been alarming, with three successive Ibrox defeats dating back to last season. A hefty loss to Lyon highlights that the pressure cooker environment created by the home supporters on the blue side of Glasgow can’t always perform miracles.
However, with the pressure rising in the Scottish Premiership, the Europa League can offer Rangers and Clement some respite. They undoubtedly have a superior squad to FCSB and can ill-afford any complacency when the sides clash on Thursday.
They need to produce the kind of performance they did against Malmo rather than what they offered against Lyon.
