Rangers have been preparing for the second leg of their huge Champions League third round qualifier against Swiss outfit Servette ahead of flying out to Geneva.
The Ibrox side take a slender 2-1 lead to Switzerland as they bid to overcome Rene Weiler’s side to set up a play-off round tie against either PSV Eindhoven (Netherlands) or Sturm Graz (Austria) - the final qualifying hurdle before the competition’s lucrative group stage.
Michael Beale’s men travel in bouyant mood after a 4-0 Scottish Premiership thrashing of Livingston on Saturday, with all four goals scored by new signings Sam Lammers, Danilo Abdallah Sima and Kieran Dowell.
Beale commented post-match it had been a challenging week for the club, but the Englishman will now be fully focused on securing two successive campaigns at Europe’s top table, one year on from Giovanni van Bronckhorst successfully guiding his team back to the group stage following a 12-year absence.
Servette displayed in flashes during the first leg that they will provide stuffy opposition in front of a sold-out stadium back on home soil, but Rangers will be boosted by the returns of defender Connor Goldson and midfielder Ryan Jack, who were both rested at the weekend.
Midfielder Jose Cifuentes made his league debut against Livi and impressed, while Rabbi Matondo’s noteworthy contribution from off the bench helped Rangers convert three late goals to wrap up the points. That telling impact could ensure the Welshman is in contention for a rare start.
Here, GlasgowWorld predicts how the Gers will shape up against Servette on Tuesday:
1. Jack Butland - GK
Has made the No.1 shirt his own after just a handful of appearances so far. Enough to potentially force Robby McCrorie to look elswhere for regular first-team action...
2. James Tavernier - RB
Had a fairly quiet game against Livingston and has looked a bit out of sorts so far this season. A improved performance is required by the skipper. Photo: Craig Foy - SNS Group
3. Connor Goldson - CB
Will come back into the line-up in place of Balogun after being given time to recover after playing twice in four days.
4. John Souttar - CB
Continues to look sharper with each game and looks to have benefitted from a full pre-season under his belt. A cool customer with the ball at his feet.