Where Ruud van Nistelrooij with his PSV, thanks to a weekend without Eredivisie, could work towards the Champions League clash with Rangers in peace, that was different for Giovanni van Bronckhorst. Last weekend, Rangers not only lost two points against Hibernian, but also two players who had to go off the field with a red card. In addition, attacker Alfredo Morelos was also removed from the selection. Van Bronckhorst will most likely play at Ibrox with the same eleven players as the week before.
Rangers last qualified for the Champions League in the 2010/11 season and so Glasgow is eager to participate in the billion-dollar ball. The game in Scotland ended in a 2-2 draw and Armando Obispo’s late PSV goal was a bitter pill for Rangers. Nevertheless, Van Bronckhorst is positive about a good result in Eindhoven. At the press conference on Tuesday, he said his roster is ready for the clash. The Dutchman does not see the peace that Rangers did not get and PSV did, as an excuse. “We played almost twice a week all through last season. Yes, it was a tough and physical game last Saturday, but we are here, we are strong and we are ready to give it our all again on the pitch.”
Looking at the statistics, the people of Eindhoven have a tough job ahead of them. PSV defeated Rangers only once in seven encounters, Rangers won three times. The Scots also remained unbeaten during the previous three visits to the Philips Stadium. In 1999, when both teams met in the group stage of the Champions League, Van Bronckhorst and Van Nistelrooij faced each other as players. Rangers won both in Scotland (4-1, goal Van Nistelrooij) and in Eindhoven (0-1).
Probable PSV line-up: silver fleet in the hands of these eleven
Ruud van Nistelrooij will most likely take up the position with these eleven.
In addition to the aforementioned Morelos, the injured Ben Davies, Ianis Hagi, Filip Helander, Kemar Roofe and John Souttar did not travel to Eindhoven. Midfielder Glen Kamara is available again and will be on the bench. Midfielder John Lundstram, who received a red card against Hibernian, will start in the starting lineup on Wednesday evening. To ensure the Champions League millions, Van Bronckhorst will therefore send the same eleven players into the field as a week earlier at Ibrox.
Probable line-up Rangers: McLaughlin; Tavernier, Goldson, Sands, Barisic; Lundstram, Davis, Lawrence; Tillman, Colak, Kent