Ange Postecoglou's out-of-form Tottenham Hotspur side travel north to face Rangers on Thursday with the Australian head coach in desperate need of a convincing victory.
Ironically for Postecoglou, his return to Scotland -- where he won five major honours with Celtic -- comes with his popularity among Spurs fans at its lowest ebb in years. His position as Tottenham head coach has come under serious pressure following Chelsea's comeback 4-3 victory over his side on Sunday left the north London club languishing in 11th place in the Premier League table. Spurs have earned one point from their last three matches and Postecoglou's side have lost 19 of their previous 40 league matches.
Things had been going smoother for Spurs in the Europa League this season. It seemed as if they could start planning for the knockout rounds after winning their first three matches, but a madcap 3-2 loss at Galatasaray and a 2-2 home draw with Roma has seen them drop out of the top eight, one place below their opponents on matchday six.
Rangers have won three of their opening five Europa League games that include two 4-1 wins over French clubs Lyon and Nice. Saturday's Scottish Premiership victory at Ross County was their fourth win in a row and has seen them reduce the gap to second-placed Aberdeen to just two points. The match against Spurs does present some selection headaches for Rangers head coach Philippe Clement, though, as his side are set to face archrivals Celtic in the Scottish League Cup final on Sunday.
Despite their respective long histories in Europe, Thursday night's game is only the second competitive meeting between Rangers and Spurs. The north London club emerged victorious 8-4 on aggregate over a two-legged tie in the inaugural edition of the Cup Winners' Cup in 1962 which Spurs went on to win.
Key details:
The match is available to watch on TNT Sports in the UK and Paramount+ in the United States. You can also follow ESPN's live updates.
How to watch:
Date: Thursday, Dec. 12 at 8 p.m. GMT (3 p.m. ET).
Venue: Ibrox Stadium, Glasgow
Referee: Sandro Schärer
VAR: Fedayi San
Team news:
Rangers
Danilo, D, ineligible, OUT -- not included in Rangers' Europa League squad
Neraysho Kasanwirjo, F, knee, OUT -- estimated return date: May 2024
Rabbi Matondo, F, ineligible and hamstring, OUT -- not included in Rangers' Europa League squad and estimated return date: unknown
Ianis Hagi, F, ineligible, OUT -- not included in Rangers' Europa League squad
Tom Lawrence, F, knock, OUT -- estimated return date: unknown
Óscar Cortés, F, unspecified injury, OUT -- estimated return date: unknown
Tottenham
Guglielmo Vicario, GK, ankle, OUT -- estimated return date: unknown
Cristian Romero, D, quadriceps, OUT -- estimated return date: unknown
Micky van de Ven, D, hamstring, DOUBT
Ben Davies, D, hamstring, OUT -- estimated return date: unknown
Djed Spence, D, ineligible, OUT -- not included in Tottenham's Europa League squad
Wilson Odobert, F, hamstring, OUT -- estimated return date: unknown
Mikey Moore, F, illlness, DOUBT
Brennan Johnson, F, illness, DOUBT
Richarlison, ST, hamstring, OUT -- estimated return date: unknown
Stats:
Rangers have been outscored 14-1 in their last six matches against English clubs in UEFA competitions (3-2-2 overall). The Scottish club's last win against English opposition was against Leeds United in 1992-93
Tottenham are facing a Scottish club in UEFA competition for the first time since 2011-12 (5-0 win on aggregate against Hearts in Europa League play-off round
Spurs' 1-2-4 record in the last seven games in all competitions is the team's fewest wins in a seven-game span under Postecoglou
Rangers' Václav Černý has been directly involved in five goals this season in the Europa League, tied for most in the competition
Spurs are looking to avoid going winless in three straight matches in UEFA competition for the first time since their 2019-20 Champions League campaign
Stats provided by ESPN Research
Expected lineups:
Rangers
GK: Jack Butland
RB: James Tavernier | CB: John Souttar | CB: Robin Pröpper | LB: Jefté
DM: Connor Barron | DM: Nicolas Raskin
RW: Václav Černý | CAM: Mohamed Diomande | LW: Nedim Bajrami
ST: Cyriel Dessers
Tottenham
GK: Fraser Forster
RB: Pedro Porro | CB: Archie Gray | CB: Radu Dragusin | LB: Destiny Udogie
CM: Pape Matar Sarr | DM: Rodrigo Bentancur | CM: James Maddison
RW: Dejan Kulusevski | ST: Dominic Solanke | LW: Timo Werner
Latest news and analysis:
Tottenham defender Cristian Romero has said his teammates are happy playing under Ange Postecoglou after Sunday's 4-3 loss to Chelsea dropped them to 11th in the Premier League and heaped more pressure on the Australian manager.
Ange Postecoglou has said the Tottenham squad still support his attacking philosophy and backed them to turn their season around after losing 4-3 to Chelsea on Sunday.