By Ross Kilvington
Given the change of format across all three European club competitions, it was perhaps inevitable that two British Clubs would be drawn together.
With just two fixtures left after this one, a victory for either side could prove crucial to their European ambitions this season.
Battle of Britain clash
For those in the UK there is nothing quite like a Battle of Britain type clash in Europe. The last one Rangers were involved in ended in a 7-1 defeat to Liverpool at Ibrox, representing their heaviest ever home loss in Europe.
In recent years, Spurs have defeated Manchester City on the way to the 2019 Champions League final, while their last clash against Scottish opposition saw them secure a 5-0 aggregate win over Hearts in the Europa League playoff round back in 2011.
The two teams have combined to win four major European trophies, reaching a further six finals, indicating that this is a clash between two of Britain’s most successful clubs.
The Light Blues and Spurs have faced off once before, with the North Londoners coming out victors in the 1962/63 European Cup Winner’s Cup first round. Can you remember that one!?
Key players
Former Celtic manager Ange Postecoglou will be hoping his return to Ibrox ends in a positive manner. Spurs’ Jekyll and Hyde form has seen them defeat Man City twice in recent weeks, yet also suffer defeats against Bournemouth and Ipswich Town.
Brennan Johnson could be the key man for Spurs, despite coming off with illness against Chelsea. The Welshman has scored three times in the Europa League, adding a further assist and he could line up alongside Will Lankshear and Heung-min Son.
Dejan Kulusevski was impressive against AS Roma last time out in Europe, recording an assist while registering four shots during the match and the Ibrox side will need to be wary of the threat he poses.
The Rangers attack is clicking into gear at exactly the right time. Nine goals were scored over their previous two games, with Hamza Igamane scoring twice in the process. The African starlet netted twice against OGC Nice last time out in Europe and he could offer a key attacking threat against Spurs.
Igamane should be supported by Nedim Bajrami and Václav Černý on the flanks. The pair have registered six goal contributions between them across five matches.
If this attacking trio can get firing, then they could cause Spurs some trouble.
Team news
Postecoglou has a few players on the treatment table. Richarlison, Mikey Moore and Wilson Odobert remain out, while centre-backs Micky van de Ven and Cristian Romero were forced off against Chelsea, ruling them out for the clash tonight.
For Rangers, Tom Lawrence and Oscar Cortes are still unavailable, while Rabbi Matondo is finally back in full training after injury.
Ianis Hagi and Danilo have been impressive recently, but the duo were omitted from the Europa League squad at the start of the season, meaning coach Philippe Clement will have to make do without.
Prediction
This is a match which is so hard to predict. Given how good Spurs can be when they are at full flow, everything points to a straightforward win for them. But recent defensive frailties suggest that if Rangers can click into gear going forward, they may well have a chance of gaining a positive result.
For these reasons, I predict an entertaining 2-2 draw.
(Cover image from IMAGO)
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