Rangers play host to Premier League opposition this evening when they take on Tottenham in the Europa League former Celtic boss Ange Postecoglou returning to Ibrox.
Following a 4-1 win at Nice in their last European outing, Rangers are in a strong position. They sit eighth in the table with 10 points and can move within three points of current leaders Athletic Club if they defeat Spurs tonight.
Tottenham have only won one game from their last seven and back-to-back Premier League defeats has increased the pressure on Postecoglou have has faced calls from fans to be sacked. A trip to Glasgow may be the catalyst to reignite his team’s form however as the manager has a solid record against Rangers winning six of his 11 Old Firm derbies when in charge of Celtic.
Spurs are one place below Rangers in the Europa League following a 2-2 draw at home to Roma last time out but will want to leapfrog their rivals tonight.
Follow all the Europa League action with our live blog below:
Rangers vs Tottenham LIVE
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Rangers host Tottenham in the Europa League with kick off at 8pm, live on TNT Sports
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Rangers sit eighth in the table after a 4-1 win over Nice
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Spurs have just one win in their last seven games with pressure increasing on Ange Postecoglou
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Rangers XI: Butland; Tavernier, Souttar, Propper, Jefte; Ridvan, Diomande, Raskin; Bajrami, Cerny, Igamane
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Tottenham XI: Forster; Porro, Gray, Dragusin, Udogie; Bentancur, Bissouma, Maddison; Johnson, Son, Werner
Ange Postecoglou vows to turn Spurs’ season around after painful Chelsea defeat
19:02 , Luke Baker
Ange Postecoglou has vowed to turn around Tottenham hotspur’s season ahead of a daunting return to Scotland.
Spurs suffered a painful 4-3 loss at home to Chelsea on Sunday to drop to 11th in the Premier League and have won only one of their last seven matches – a remarkable 4-0 victory at Manchester City – amid a gruelling fixture list and a growing number of absentees.
A hostile atmosphere will greet ex-Celtic boss Postecoglou at Rangers tonight but the 59-year-old remains determined to succeed in England.
He said: “My role now is to focus on the things I can control and keep preparing the team the best we can to keep progressing as a football team and turn our season around. When I look at the performance, I don’t see them lacking confidence or belief. It’s probably the other way. Both penalties we conceded were borne out of desperation.
“I think they are desperate to turn our season around and are really disappointed how it has gone. When you’re in that mood you kind of lose that composure and discipline you need. It’s not like we are hanging on in games. We wouldn’t play like we did if there was a lack of belief and confidence. When you get into this situation we are in, there is also a sense of desperation from the players and I thought that cost us.”
Rangers v Tottenham team news
18:51 , Luke Baker
The teams are in – here how they’ll line up at Ibrox this evening
Rangers XI: Butland; Tavernier, Souttar, Propper, Jefte; Ridvan, Diomande, Raskin; Bajrami, Cerny, Igamane
Tottenham XI: Forster; Porro, Gray, Dragusin, Udogie; Bentancur, Bissouma, Maddison; Johnson, Son, Werner
Ange Postecoglou reveals apology from Cristian Romero after criticising Tottenham
18:40 , Luke Baker
Ange Postecoglou has revealed Tottenham vice-captain Cristian Romero has apologised after he aimed a dig at the club’s board over its transfer policy.
Defender Romero was forced off after only 15 minutes of Spurs’ 4-3 loss at home to Chelsea on Sunday with a fresh injury and this latest defeat made it one victory in seven matches.
Romero publicly backed Postecoglou post-match and also urged the club hierarchy – seemingly in reference to chairman Daniel Levy – to follow the lead of Manchester City, Liverpool and Chelsea in the transfer market by strengthening the squad.
Ange Postecoglou reveals apology from Cristian Romero after criticising Tottenham
Tottenham’s comedy of errors leaves questions over Ange Postecoglou’s future
18:25 , Mike Jones
Spurs were 2-0 up after 12 minutes, the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium was shaking with noise and Chelsea’s stumbling defender Marc Cucurella was so harrowed by his nightmare start that he’d had to change his boots. So perhaps the greatest indictment of this Spurs side is that even in that moment of utter dominance, with the game gift-wrapped and in the palm of their hands, you just knew they could fumble it at any moment.
Behind some brilliant Chelsea play to engineer a four-goal comeback was a comedy of Spurs errors, an unravelling of devastating proportions. Jadon Sancho was allowed to dribble from the touchline to the edge of the box and shoot. Yves Bissouma gave away a needless penalty with a lunge that could be seen long before it happened, yards before he actually clattered through Moises Caicedo. Pape Matar Sarr’s bungled challenge on Cole Palmer was even more foolish, given the forward was facing the corner flag at the time.
Tottenham’s comedy of errors leaves questions over Ange Postecoglou’s future
Rangers vs Tottenham possible line-ups
18:20 , Mike Jones
Here’s how we see the two teams lining-up against each other this evening:
Rangers XI: Butland; Tavernier, Souttar, Balogun, Jefte; Raskin, Diomande, Barron; Cerny, Dressers, Igamane
Tottenham XI: Forster; Porro, Gray, Dragusin, Udogie; Bentancur, Sarr, Maddison; Johnson, Solanke, Werner
What is the team news?
18:15 , Mike Jones
Rangers will be without both Ianis Hagi and Danilo they are not in their Europa League squad, while Tom Lawrence is a doubt due to injury. Cyriel Dressers and Dujon Sterling may come in.
Tottenham lost Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven to injury against Chelsea. Ben Davies is out as well, along with Guglielmo Vicario, Richarlison and Wilson Odobert. Rodrigo Bentancur is available for Europe.
How can I watch it?
18:10 , Mike Jones
It will be shown live on TNT Sports 1, with coverage starting at 7:00pm. TNT Sports customers can also stream the match live on Discovery+. You can purchase a TNT Sports subscription via discovery+ here, for only £30.99 per month.
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When is Rangers vs Tottenham?
18:05 , Mike Jones
The Europa League fixture will kick off at 8pm GMT on Thursday 12 December.
Rangers vs Tottenham
18:00 , Mike Jones
Rangers host Tottenham in a “battle of Britain” in the Europa League as under-pressure Ange Postecoglou returns to Ibrox.
Spurs have one just win in their last seven games and have lost back-to-back matches in the Premier League, but Postecoglou has fond memories of Glasgow having overseen a successful two-year spell in charge of Rangers’ bitter rivals Celtic.
Postecoglou enjoyed a fine record in the Old Firm, with Celtic winning six of their 11 matches against Rangers during his tenure. But his Tottenham reign is threatening to unravel after the defeats to Bournemouth and Chelsea, with last month’s 4-0 win at Man City fading from memory.
Both teams are in a good position to advance in Europe with Rangers eighth in the table following an impressive 4-1 win at Nice last time out. Philippe Clement’s side have found some form, with four wins in a row in all competitions, but the Belgian remains under pressure too ahead of Sunday’s League Cup final against Celtic.
Tottenham are ninth in the Europa League standings following a 2-2 draw at home to Roma last time out.
Good evening!
13:29 , Mike Jones
Welcome to The Independent’s coverage on tonight’s Europa League action as Tottenham face off with Rangers at Ibrox.
Both sides have performed well in Europe so far but with the league phase drawing to a close they will want as many points as possible to ensure they finish inside the top eight.
We’ll have all the team news, line-ups and more throughout the night so stick with us as we build up to kick off at 8pm.
