Prediction: Rangers vs Liverpool

Verdict: Total goals under 2.5

Best odds: 9/5

Bookmaker: Betfair

In what will surely be a crucial match for both sides, Rangers will welcome Liverpool to the Ibrox on Wednesday within round four of the Champions League stage. Liverpool won their contest in the previous round, courtesy of a fantastic free-kick from Trent Alexander-Arnold and a Mohamed Salah penalty, and anything but a win in Scotland would significantly reduce their chances of landing a spot in the knockout stages. But if the Merseysiders do win, it’ll be the end of Rangers in the competition will likely be mathematically confirmed.

In the other match of the group on the evening, Napoli host Ajax after thrashing the Dutch champions in Amsterdam the last time out.

Rangers

There was never much hope for Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s team to move past the group stage in the Champions League, and there probably wouldn’t be any difference had they been drawn in some other group. Realistically speaking, the fact that they’ve made it this far is a success in itself.

Rangers are currently at the bottom of the table, having lost all three matches so far. Their last-six run is a mixture of the Scottish Premiership and the Champions League and as such, it also a mix of results completely dependent on the competition. They were thrashed 4-0 by Ajax in Amsterdam and then 0-3 at home by Napoli, before beating Dundee United at home by 2-1 and Hearts away by 0-4. Then came the Anfield clash which they lost 2-0, followed in the end by a 4-0 win over St. Mirren.

Over in the Scottish top flight, Van Bronckhorst’s men are currently in second place, two points behind Celtic, and even though they’ve already been severely beaten by their arch-rivals, they obviously still have plenty to play for on the domestic scene.

Team News

Van Bronckhorst could opt to start Antonio Colak ahead of Alfredo Morelos upfront this time after the Croatian bagged a brace against St. Mirren and showed more sharpness than the Colombian even against Liverpool.

Glen Kamara could also be named to start in the middle of the park, being able to provide a certain level of stability in a match like this, while at the back, James Sands is expected to edge out former Liverpool man Ben Davies after serving a one-match suspension in the previous match.

Liverpool

The season has turned into a proper disaster for Liverpool, as their Premier League campaign suffers its worst start in a decade and injuries keep plaguing their ranks. Jurgen Klopp has always been able to turn things around whenever his team was in a crisis before, but this time it seems he’s got quite a task on his hands.

Though they have a game in hand on most of the league, Liverpool are currently in 10th place and game after game, they seem unable to shake off the stupor they’ve fallen into. Following their defeat to Arsenal on Sunday, Klopp openly admitted that they are not in the title race anymore – a rare sign of conceding defeat from the German tactician, known for his ability to motivate players.

Liverpool’s last six matches in both competitions they’ve been involved so far include a goalless draw away to city rivals Everton, a 4-1 thrashing at the hands of Napoli in Italy, a 2-1 win over Ajax at home, a 3-3 draw against Brighton and Hove Albion at home, the 2-0 win over Rangers at home, and the 3-2 defeat away to Arsenal.

For a bit of perspective though, it should, perhaps, be said that the Gunners are on great form and currently lead the way in the Premier League, as well as that their victory over the Merseysiders appears to have been greatly helped by serious mistakes in officiating, but another three points lost is still a sore blow for Klopp and his men nonetheless.

Things are obviously better in the Champions League at the moment, and as has been said, a win in Glasgow would get them within reach of the knockout stages.

Team News

There are plenty of problems Klopp has to deal with in terms of making do without a number of players. Midfielders Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Curtis Jones are back in team training, though it remains to be seen if either is ready to start. The same goes for left-back Andy Robertson, while Naby Keita remains absent.

But with three players back in contention comes the absence of another trio. Defenders Joel Matip and Trent Alexander-Arnold are out for two to three weeks, and winger Luis Diaz, probably Liverpool’s best player this season, won’t be back until after the World Cup. Perhaps replacing Matip and Alexander-Arnold won’t be too problematic with Joe Gomez, Ibrahima Konate and Calvin Ramsay all eager to play, but the absence of Diaz will surely be felt over the next three months.

For this game, Konate and Gomez are likely to start along with Virgil van Dijk at the back, and it’ll probably be Kostas Tsimikas again on the left with Robertson perhaps given the final 30 minutes to feel the game a bit after his absence. Fabinho was a substitute in the previous encounter between these teams as well as at the Emirates, and he’ll likely be in the lineup this time.

Nunez and Firmino will both be hoping to start in attack, as will Diogo Jota to take Diaz’s place.

Conclusion

Even in this situation, Liverpool are the team with more quality, and though they play at Ibrox this time, a repeat of the previous win over Rangers is the likeliest outcome. It will be a tough match, though, with no more than two goals in the back of the home side’s net and a clean sheet at the other end.

Verdict: Total goals under 2.5

Best odds: 9/5

Bookmaker: Betfair