Rangers welcome Bayer Leverkusen to Ibrox this evening in their crunch Europa League last-16 first-leg.
Gers, despite their poor recent league form, will be in confident mood having dispatched Portuguese giants Braga in the last round - including a 3-2 win at home and an incredible 1-0 victory away.
Ryan Jack will be a big miss for the Light Blues and captain James Tavernier will be put through a late fitness test to try and prove he is available to play.
Bayer Leverkusen will provide tough opposition. Here are our sports writers' predictions for the big game this evening.
Graeme McGarry
Rangers may not be in the best form domestically, but they have been formidable at Ibrox in Europe under Steven Gerrard and they can get another decent result tonight in front of a sellout crowd. Presuming they are allowed in.
The Germans are perhaps a step up from the likes of Porto, Feyenoord or Braga, and it will be difficult to contain the exciting Kai Havertz in particular, but I fancy Rangers to rise to the occasion and come away with a draw at least.
Prediction: Rangers 1-1 Bayer Leverkusen
Mark Hendry
Rangers have been impressive in Europe this season and always raise their game when squaring-off against the big guns.
As manager Steven Gerrard suggested yesterday in his conference, they will need all their stars at their maximum to stand a chance against one of Germany's top four teams right now. One issue for Gers is top striker Alfredo Morelos' lack of form and his apparent blasé attitude towards the remainder of his side's campaign.
READ MORE: Ex-Celtic and Bayer Leverkusen striker warns Rangers of Kai Havertz threat
If the Colombian shows up, Rangers have a chance but Ryan Jack will be a significant miss in the middle of the park against a classy £100million-rated Kai Havertz.
I expect Leverkusen to be just too much for an off-colour Rangers this evening.
Prediction: Rangers 0-2 Bayer Leverkusen
Chris Jack
Steven Gerrard’s side have produced their best performances of the campaign in the Europa League but they will have to raise their levels once again at Ibrox if they are to get a result against the Bundesliga giants.
The home crowd could have a part to play this evening and Rangers need everything to go in their favour if they are to take a positive result into the return leg next week.
A draw is probably the best that Gerrard’s side can achieve and even that will take some doing given their domestic form in recent weeks. Bayer are capable of exposing an under-fire Gers defence and Gerrard needs more from his big players at the other end of the park.
The comments about Alfredo Morelos and Florian Kamberi were interesting but it would be a huge call, and the wrong one, not to start with the Colombian, despite his barren spell in front of goal. The loss of Ryan Jack – who has excelled at this level this season - is a real blow for Rangers and Gerrard could do with James Tavernier passing his late fitness test.
READ MORE: Rangers boss Steven Gerrard unhappy with closed doors decision on Bayer Leverkusen rematch
The win over Braga showed that Rangers can’t be written off in Europe but a win here would be their biggest achievement by quite some distance.
Prediction: Rangers 1-1 Bayer Leverkusen
Kenneth Ward
Rangers’ form since the turn of the year has been, to put it mildly, indifferent. Defeats to Hearts and Kilmarnock put an indelible dent in Steven Gerrard’s burgeoning title bid and a further defeat to the Tynecastle side saw their best chance of silverware in the Scottish Cup evaporate.
However, the manner of their two victories over Braga in the last-32 of the Europa League, coming from two goals down at Ibrox in the first leg and seeing off the in-form Portuguese on their own patch, was mightily impressive. Can they summon that same spirit to conjure another famous victory in Europe in Glasgow tonight?
With talisman striker Alfredo Morelos floundering in recent weeks and regular deputy Jermaine Defoe absent through injury, while Captain James Tavernier will also miss the meeting with the fourth-place Bundesliga outfit, the chips are stacked against Rangers.
However, as the victories over Braga showed, this team seem to perform at their best when all the expectation is against them. With a packed-out Ibrox crowd getting fully behind their charges in what is now the only platform of any positivity for their club, I see Gerrard’s side pulling off a 1-0 victory ahead of the behind-closed-doors return leg in Leverkusen next week.
Prediction: Rangers 1-0 Bayer Leverkusen
James Cairney
Tonight’s clash against Leverkusen will be Steven Gerrard’s biggest test in his managerial career. Rangers have played - and defeated - some fine teams in Europe this season, but none carry the same pedigree as the Germans.
This season, Bayer have beaten some of the best teams on the continent; Dortmund, Bayern Munich and Atletico Madrid have all lost out to Peter Bosz’s side. And we shouldn’t forget that the manager has previous experience in this competition. Bosz’s Ajax reached the Europa League final in 2017, playing wonderful football on the way.
READ MORE: Steven Gerrard hints Alfredo Morelos could be dropped for Bayer Leverkusen clash over loss of form
I’d expect a Leverkusen win tonight but that is not to say that Rangers can’t cause an upset. Gerrard is yet to lose a home fixture in Europe and has only trailed for 64 minutes in a European game at Ibrox, when Braga went 2-0 up in the previous round.
I thought Porto would beat Rangers. After 10 minutes against Braga, I was certain Gerrard’s side were going out. But this team are often at their best when the odds are stacked against them. I’d expect a Bayer victory tonight - but I won’t be holding my breath. Rangers have a habit of making fools of their naysayers in Europe this season.
Prediction: Rangers 1-2 Bayer Leverkusen
Matthew Lindsay
A match against one of the best teams in Germany isn’t the ideal place for a Scottish side who have been struggling of late to rediscover their form.
But Rangers, who have lost to Hearts away and been beaten by Hamilton at home in recent weeks, have raised their games before in Europe this season.
I can see them doing so again despite the fact they will be missing central midfielder Ryan Jack and possibly right back James Tavernier too.
Having a full house behind them at Ibrox will help them to lift their performance levels and make it an intimidating environment for their visitors.
READ MORE: Ryan Jack OUT of Rangers' Europa League clash with Bayer Leverkusen at Ibrox
Steven Gerrard has a big decision to make about who to play up front – Alfredo Morelos or Florian Kamberi. But his team has shown they can create and convert chances, and not just through their strikers, before in continental competition on numerous occasions in the past and I think they will score.
Defensively, Rangers will have to perform far better. If they can’t keep clean sheets against the bottom-placed sides in the Ladbrokes Premiership what chance do they have of doing so against the fourth-placed team in the Bundesliga?
Who partners Connor Goldson at centre half? George Edmundson and Nikola Katic have made mistakes in recent weeks. Filip Helander hasn’t made a first team appearance in over three months due to injury. I still think, though, that they will have enough about them to grind out an honourable draw.
Prediction: Rangers 1-1 Bayer Leverkusen
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