Rangers look to bounce back from a disappointing 1-0 defeat to Kilmarnock at the weekend when they host Romanian side FCSB in the Europa League on Thursday.
Pressure continues to mount on Rangers manager Philippe Clement after a disappointing start to the 2024/25 campaign, with the Belgian needing a quick and prolonged return to form to save his position in the dugout.
Defeat at Killie meant the Glasgow giants were unable to take advantage of fierce rivals Celtic dropping points at home to Aberdeen, with the Bhoys and Dons already six points clear of Rangers as they stand things
The newest of the Rangers Europa League The exit only added to the scrutiny Clement finds himself under at Ibrox. The 4-1 defeat by French side Lyon highlighted the lack of progress since the appointment of the former Monaco manager.
FCSB, formerly known as Steaua Bucuresti, got off to a mixed start to the 2024/25 season but have found some consistency in recent weeks. They have won both of their Europa League outings so far and are unbeaten since the end of August after nine games without defeat.
here it is 90 minutes guide for a crunch clash for Rangers.
Head-to-head record between Rangers and FCSB (last five games)
Current form (all competitions)
rangers |
FCSB |
---|---|
Kilmarnock 1-0 Rangers – 20/10/24 |
Dinamo Bucharest 0-2 FCSB – 20/10/24 |
Rangers 2-0 St Johnstone – 06/10/24 |
FCSB 3-2 Gloria Buzau – 10/06/24 |
Rangers 1-4 Lyon – 03/10/24 |
PAOK 0-1 FCSB – 24/10/03 |
Rangers 1-0 Hibernian – 29/09/24 |
Sepsi OSK 0-1 FCSB – 29/09/24 |
Malmö 0-2 Rangers – 26/09/24 |
FCSB 4-1 RFS – 26/09/24 |
country |
TV channel/live broadcast |
---|---|
united kingdom |
TNT Sports 3, TNT Sports Ultimate, discovery+, discovery+ app |
united states |
Paramount+, ViX |
canada |
DAZN |
Clement needs to get his starting XI right for the visit of in-form FCSB but will be without Ridvan Yilmaz, Rabbi Matondo and Oscar Cortes on Thursday. Striker Danilo, who has not played since the end of August, is close to returning from a knee injury.
Despite the disappointing loss at the weekend, Clement is unlikely to make sweeping changes to his starting line-up. Tom Lawrence’s return against Kilmarnock will be a huge boost for the Rangers boss, while Nedim Bajrami, Vaclav Cerny and Cyriel Dessers should start alongside the Welshman in the forward line.
Rangers predicted line-up against FCSB (4-2-3-1): Butland; Tavernier, Souttar, Propper, Jephte; Diomande, Raskin; Lawrence, Bajrami, Cerny; desserts
FCSB have an almost completely clean bill of health heading into Glasgow but will be without captain and playmaker-in-chief Darius Olaru as he serves a suspension after being sent off against PAOK. Elsewhere, Siyabonga Ngezana is also a doubt with a muscle injury and Adrian Sut is on compassionate leave.
Daniel Birligea is one player Clement may have to make special plans for on Thursday. The Romanian striker has scored in FCSB’s first two Europa League games and has now scored in three straight games.
Predicted lineup of FCSB against Rangers (4-2-3-1): Tarnovanu; Cretu, Chirices, M. Popescu, Radunovic; Edjouma, Lixandru; Stefanescu, Tanase, Miculescu; Birligea
Rangers’ recent European home form has been alarming, with three successive defeats at Ibrox since last season. A heavy defeat to Lyon shows that the pressure cooker atmosphere created by the home fans in Glasgow’s blue side cannot always work miracles.
However, with increased pressure in the Scottish Premiership, the Europa League may offer Rangers and Clement some respite. They certainly have a superior squad to FCSB’s and can’t afford any complacency when the teams meet on Thursday.
They need to produce the kind of performance they did against Malmo rather than what they offered against Lyon.