Liverpool will be looking to make it three wins on the bounce in Group A tonight, as they travel up to Glasgow for their Champions League clash with Rangers.
Following a hostile atmosphere at Anfield last Tuesday, it looks to be no tamer in what will be a packed out Ibrox.
Despite a tough loss to take from Premier League leaders Arsenal at the weekend, spirits remained high in the Liverpool camp at the Axa Training Camp on Tuesday. Midfielder Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain returned to light training following a hamstring injury suffered three months ago in Singapore, as well as full back Andy Robertson who featured in training following a short spell on the sidelines.
Luis Diaz, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Joel Matip were all absent following injuries sustained at The Emirates. Alexander-Arnold and Matip both look to be out for up to three weeks, while Diaz is said to be facing a longer time out, potentially until after the World Cup.
Last Time Out
The Reds proved too formidable a force for their Scottish opponents in the last round of fixtures at Anfield, where goals from Alexander-Arnold and Mo Salah secured the three points in a 2-0 victory.
Jurgen Klopp’s men may want to be more efficient from open play this time out, with both goals coming from a free-kick and a penalty respectively. Even with over 60% possession and 23 shots, Liverpool struggled to find a way past Rangers goalkeeper Allan McGregor, who once again gave a stellar account of himself on the European stage. The now 40-year-old was the away side’s best player on the night, and his teammates will want to replicate his performance tonight to grab a much needed result.
What’s At Stake?
A win could see Liverpool go level on points with group leaders Napoli depending on how the Italian outfit fares in their match against third placed Ajax. The flipside of this is that if Ajax do beat Napoli and Liverpool lose to Rangers, Klopp’s men could see themselves fall out of the top 2. Points aside, Klopp’s men could see themselves fall out the top 2.
Points aside the reds’ focus may soon turn to the Champions League as Manchester City and Arsenal continue to slip away at the top of the Prem, meaning confidence in Europe is vital.
For Rangers, any points are crucial as they look to get themselves off the mark entering the business end of the group stages. Currently bottom of the group with no points, if Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s men fail to get a result tonight, their chances of reaching the knockout stages of the Champions League or even the Europa League will look more bleak than before.
Following their spectacular run in the UEL last season which saw them reach the final, the Gers would be disappointed to crash out on the big stage so soon.
Both sides have it all to play for in tonight’s affair, which could be a special night under the Ibrox lights.
