MX23RW : Saturday, August 6 17:40:29| >> :600:88317:88317:
[monks data]
May 5, 2022 at 8pm UK at Ibrox Stadium
Rangers
3 - 1
RB Leipzig
Tavernier (19'), Kamara (24'), Lundstram (81')
Bassey (26'), Goldson (31'), Barisic (44')
FT(HT: 2-0)
Nkunku (71')
Kampl (52')

Preview: Rangers vs. RB Leipzig - prediction, team news, lineups

Sports Mole previews Thursday's Europa League clash between Rangers and RB Leipzig, including predictions, team news and possible lineups.

Rangers play host to RB Leipzig on Thursday evening looking to overturn a 1-0 deficit in the second leg of their Europa League semi-final.

At a time when second-placed Rangers are realistically out of the title race in the Scottish Premiership, Leipzig have recently dropped down to fifth position in the Bundesliga.


Match preview

Rangers manager Giovanni van Bronckhorst celebrates after the match on April 17, 2022© Reuters

Second-best in both the top flight and this European semi-final, there is a real possibility that Rangers' only piece of silverware this season comes via the Scottish Cup.

Nevertheless, Giovanni van Bronckhorst's team will continue to fight for an historic treble, and they will head into their upcoming clash with Leipzig with little fear.

Albeit with a defensively-minded performance, Rangers nullified RB Leipzig for the majority of the first leg in Germany last Thursday before Angelino's decisive goal in the 85th minute.

A narrow defeat was harsh on the Scottish giants who were missing several key players, but they would have probably taken a one-goal deficit ahead of the return fixture at Ibrox had it been offered to them beforehand.

Van Bronckhorst had the tricky conundrum of finding a balance between naming a side capable of challenging Celtic last weekend and being well-rested for this contest, with the Gers doing themselves credit to earn a 1-1 draw through Fashion Sakala's second-half equaliser.

While the draw against their Old Firm rivals will realistically prove detrimental in the title race, it was somewhat of a confidence boost ahead of trying to defeat a German giant for the second time in this competition.

RB Leipzig coach Domenico Tedesco during the match on March 2, 2022© Reuters

On paper, Leipzig are a marginally-easier opponent than Borussia Dortmund were back in February, but that means little now that they travel to Scotland with a lead.

Domenico Tedesco would have had high hopes for being further in front against opponents who were missing their best forward players, although he may feel that Leipzig's focus will now be stronger with Rangers still in the tie.

There is a lot more riding on this fixture than Tedesco would have envisaged with Leipzig suffering back-to-back defeats in the Bundesliga, losses which have left them outside of the Champions League places.

After losing at home to Union Berlin ahead of the first Rangers game, Leipzig went down 3-1 at Borussia Moncehengladbach on Sunday, even with their opponents playing the final 26 minutes with 10 men.

Although Leipzig have certainly improved under Tedesco during the second half of the season, their next four fixtures will define whether it will be deemed successful with a top-four finish and the DFB-Pokal also on their list of targets.

Rangers Europa League form:
  • D
  • W
  • L
  • L
  • W
  • L

Rangers form (all competitions):
  • W
  • W
  • W
  • W
  • L
  • D

RB Leipzig Europa League form:
  • D
  • W
  • D
  • W
  • W

RB Leipzig form (all competitions):
  • W
  • W
  • W
  • L
  • W
  • L



Team News

Rangers' Kemar Roofe celebrates scoring their third goal with teammates on April 14, 2022© Reuters

Having missed the last three fixtures with a knee injury, Kemar Roofe is pushing to return to the Rangers squad.

Should that prove to be the case, Van Bronckhorst must decide whether to take a risk on the forward, although it appears more realistic that either Joe Aribo or Sakala will feature down the middle.

Aaron Ramsey is also in contention to return after a hamstring problem, while Ryan Jack and Glen Kamara should feature after only being named as substitutes versus Celtic.

Leipzig could be forced into at least one alteration with Josko Gvardiol having been withdrawn during the first half against Monchengladbach through injury.

Marcel Halstenberg and Lukas Klostermann are both in line to return to the backline, as is Dominik Szoboszlai who could be preferred to frontman Andre Silva.

Emil Forsberg and Yussuf Poulsen will also feel like they could be recalled after their appearances as substitutes on Sunday.

Rangers possible starting lineup:
McGregor; Tavernier, Goldson, Bassey, Barisic; Lundstram, Jack, Kamara; Aribo, Sakala, Kent

RB Leipzig possible starting lineup:
Gulacsi; Klostermann, Orban, Halstenberg; Henrichs, Laimer, Adams, Angelino; Olmo; Szoboszlai, Nkunku


SM words green background

We say: Rangers 1-2 RB Leipzig (RB Leipzig to win 3-1 on aggregate)

Even with the possibility of players returning to the squad for this contest, Rangers require a European performance for the ages to reach the final of this competition. While home advantage gives Rangers every chance of getting on the scoresheet, they will find it difficult to repel Leipzig at the other end, leading us to predict another German win.



Top tip

Our expert tipster partners at Sporita.com are predicting under 3.5 goals in this match. Click here to find out what else they are predicting for this game and for more of their tried-and-tested football tips.Under 3.5:data


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How you voted: Rangers vs RB Leipzig

Rangers
34.4%
Draw
12.6%
RB Leipzig
53.0%
349
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Rangers' James Tavernier celebrates scoring their second goal with teammates on April 14, 2022
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