Maribor vs Rangers: TV channel, live stream, squad news & preview
The Scottish side put themselves into a strong position by winning convincingly at Ibrox Stadium in the first leg
Rangers will hope to finish the job and take a step closer to the Europa League group stage when they face Maribor in Slovenia on Thursday.
Steven Gerrard’s side boast a formidable lead in the tie thanks to a 3-1 victory in the first leg at Ibrox Stadium, but they will have to be careful after conceding an away goal.
Goals from Alfredo Morelos, James Tavernier and Lassana Coulibaly have given the Scottish side a solid cushion heading into the second leg, but they cannot allow themselves to become complacent.
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A place in the play-off round is at stake and the winners of this tie will take on either Luxembourg’s Progres Niederkorn – who notably vanquished Rangers in last season’s competition – or Russian side Ufa.
TV Channel, Live Stream & How To Watch
In the United States (US) the game will not be shown live on television, but it will be available to watch live online with Rangers TV.
In the United Kingdom (UK), the game is being broadcast live on television on Premier Sports 1 and can be streamed live using the Premier Sports online service.
Squads & Team News
Maribor have no fresh injury concerns from the first leg and a number of players had their playing time against Gorica limited in anticipation of the second leg. Marcos Tavares should return to the starting XI after coming on as a substitute in the 5-0 win over Gorica, while Gregor Bajde should be well rested after spending the entirety of that match on the bench.
Potential Maribor XI: Handanovic; Suler, Viler, Ivkovic, Klinar; Vrhovec, Dervisevic, Pihler; Tavares, Bajde, Zahovic.
Rangers are monitoring the fitness of Lassana Coulibaly, who picked up a knock over the weekend against St Mirren, while Scott Arfield is expected to be passed fit to play. Midfielder Ryan Jack has returned to training and could possibly take his place in the starting XI, while new signing Borna Barisic is pushing for a start.
Potential Rangers XI: McGregor; Barisic, Goldson, Katic, Flanagan; Ejaria, Coulibaly, Arfield, Kent; Candeias, Morelos.
Betting & Match Odds
Despite losing the first leg heavily, Maribor are considered 6/5 favourites by dabblebet to win. Rangers are deemed 2/1 to beat the Slovenians and a draw is available at 11/5.
Click here to see all of dabblebet’s offers for the game, including goalscoring markets, correct score predictions and more.
Match Preview
The arrival of Steven Gerrard as manager has certainly brought the lift that Rangers needed following a dismal campaign last term and their early season form shows the impact the former Liverpool star has had.
The Light Blues have now gone seven games without defeat in all competitions and they come into the second leg against Maribor brimming with confidence as a result of their performances, particularly at home.
“I think that the players are trying to make the supporters proud of the team,” Gerrard said after the first-leg. “They understand that they haven’t been at it for the last couple of seasons and the fans demand more.”
Of course, the challenge for Gerrard’s players now is to sustain that level for the duration of the season and success in the Europa League will go some way towards fuelling that.
Having endured an embarrassing European exit last season, reaching the group stage of the competition will be an ideal response and, should they navigate past Maribor, just one hurdle remains.