Ange Postecoglou knows only a win will do when Tottenham travel to face Rangers in the UEFA Europa League.
Postecoglou enjoyed plenty of success at Rangers’ expense when he was in charge of their bitter rivals Celtic but the Australian tactician has been finding the going tough in London.
Spurs let a 2-0 lead slip in a 4-3 defeat against local rivals Chelsea at the weekend and are winless in four matches across all competitions since beating Manchester City 4-0 last month.
Rangers and Tottenham head into Thursday’s match locked on 10 points as the battle for an automatic passage into the Round of 16 hots up.
The Sporting News looks at the latest team news for this fixture.
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Rangers vs. Tottenham lineups, starting 11, team news
Rangers have been without left-back Ridvan Yilmaz for much of the year due to a hamstring injury, and while he’s come back to make a few substitute appearances, his availability is unclear after serving as an unused substitute in the weekend’s league game. On the other flank, Dutch right-back Neraysho Kasanwirjo is out until the new year with a knee injury.
Philippe Clement confirmed that while Rabbi Matondo is nearing a return from a hamstring issue of his own, he will not be ready quite yet to make the squad. The prognosis is better for young Colombian winger Oscar Cortes who is available after missing much of the year with his own muscle injury.
Clement has a decision to make in the attack, with forwards Hamza Igamane, Danilo, and Cyriel Dessers all pushing for playing time up front. Dressers leads the club with 12 goals across all competitions this year, but has lost his starting place in recent weeks.
Rangers projected starting lineup (4-2-3-1): Butland (GK) — Tavernier, Souttar, Balogun, Jefte — Hagi, Raskin — Cerny, Barron, Igamane — Danilo.
Rangers subs: (Lineups released one hour prior to kickoff)
Ange Postecoglou has a real selection headache when it comes to his available Tottenham defenders, admitting it’s the worst injury crisis he’s faced as a manager “by a fair stretch.”
Spurs will be without oft-injured Micky van de Ven as well as Cristian Romero after both picked up issues on their ill-advised return against Chelsea, while Ben Davies will also miss out. They’re also down starting goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario who’s out for months with a serious ankle injury.
Brennan Johnson is likely to return after exiting the weekend’s game with an illness, but it’s unclear whether Richarlison will be ready to see the field as he recovers from a hamstring injury.
Tottenham projected starting lineup (4-3-3): Forster (GK) — Porro, Dragusin, Gray, Udogie — Kulusevski, Bissouma, Sarr — B. Johnson, Solanke, Son.
Tottenham subs: (Lineups released one hour prior to kickoff)
Rangers vs. Tottenham live stream, TV channel
Here’s how to watch this UEFA Europa League match across selected areas of the world’s major regions:
