Rangers vs Tottenham LIVE! Europa League match stream, latest score and goal updates today
Spurs are in Scotland tonight as they look to arrest their alarming slide in form, in a game which will have added significance for manager Ange Postecoglou. Spurs have just one win in seven games, including four defeats, which came at fellow strugglers Manchester City. While their domestic form has suffered, so has their Europa League exploits.
Defeat in Galatasaray was followed by a last-gasp, and very frustrating, draw to Roma, leaves Spurs level on points with tonight’s opponents, after five games and in danger of not earning a top-eight finish and therefore skipping the play-off round. A ruinous injury crisis has made matters far harder and has given Rangers hope of an upset.
Spurs are without their first-, second- and fourth-choice centre-backs and their first-choice keeper, among other absentees, as Postecoglou returns to Scotland for the first time since his trophy-laden two-year spell with Celtic. He faced Rangers 11 times and won six, losing just three. Follow the game LIVE below with our dedicated match blog, featuring expert insight and analysis from Dan Kilpatrick at Ibrox.
Rangers vs Tottenham latest updates
Kick-off: 8pm, Ibrox
How to watch: TNT Sports
Rangers team news
Tottenham team news
Score prediction
20:26 , Alex Young
24min: Bentancur heads away the corner and Spurs eventually break through Son, who tries to find Bentancur but the cross was a yard or two off.
20:24 , Alex Young
23min: As I typed that, Gray got in a great block after a Porro mistake. Rangers corner.
20:24 , Alex Young
22min: Gray likes to go for a wander, which isn’t a bad thing, but he keeps being met with a Rangers shirt to leave his team-mates to mop up,
Got away with it so far, but it’s risky.
20:21 , Alex Young
20min: First booking of the night for Diomande as the midfielder literally slaps the ball in mid-air.
20:19 , Alex Young
18min: Maddison seeing far more of the ball, starting to knit things together for Spurs.
20:17 , Alex Young
17min: Corner comes in, is cleared by Rangers who try to break but Udogie is back to mop up.
20:16 , Alex Young
16min: Johnson wins the ball higher up the pitch, the ball falls to Maddison to have a pop at goal and wins a corner.
20:16 , Alex Young
15min: Spurs starting to see more of the ball in the last few minutes.
Dan Kilpatrick at Ibrox
20:13 , Alex Young
As expected, Rangers are up for this game and they've already won a few big challenges, lifting the crowd.
There's plenty of technical quality in this Spurs XI but you do wonder about their grit when the likes of Solanke, Kulusevski and Romero are missing.
20:13 , Alex Young
12min: Up the other end, Maddison darts into the area to cut the ball back for Son to toe-poke an effort at goal. Easy for Butland.
20:12 , Alex Young
11min: Corner is whipped in, Fraster opts to punch rather than catch... and then Yilmaz skies one from the edge of the area.
20:11 , Alex Young
10min: Lovely counter from Rangers, sweeping from inside their own half and ends with Bajrami to force a corner.
20:10 , Alex Young
9min: Son goes down looking for a free kick, referee tells him to get up as the ball rolls to Udogie and then Werner to whip an effort wide of the far post.
20:07 , Alex Young
6min: Rangers the team pushing most at the moment, roared on by the raucous home support.
20:05 , Alex Young
4min: Both sides getting forward in the early stages.
20:04 , Alex Young
3min: Gray shows some nice composure when under pressure for the first time. That will help the young lad.
20:03 , Alex Young
2min: Foster’s first touch and it’s met with deafening boos.
20:02 , Alex Young
1min: Werner wins a corner straight away after being found by Johnson. Maddison takes and it’s straight into Butland’s arms.
Kick-off!
20:01 , Alex Young
1min: Here we go!
Dan Kilpatrick at Ibrox
19:59 , Alex Young
In spite of what Ange Postecoglou has described as the worst injury crisis of his career, he is still able to name a strong XI for his return to Glasgow.
It will be interesting to see how Celtic-supporting teenager Archie Gray fares at centre-half this evening with the 18-year-old likely to be needed in defence for the rest of the year.
There's been no sign of Postecoglou yet but former Celtic goalkeeper Fraser Forster was loudly booed when the teams were read out, giving an idea of the recepting awaiting the Spurs boss.
19:57 , Alex Young
Here come the teams!
19:54 , Alex Young
It’s really hotting up (not literally) inside the ground. Not long to go.
Philippe Clement to TNT Sports
19:49 , Alex Young
“Of course, [the financial gap between clubs] can be bridged, and it's been done so many times before, in my past, but with a lot of teams and with Rangers also.
“So, of course, it can, but then you need everybody to perform at his best. You need a goalkeeper who makes some amazing saves. You need defenders to play the the game of their lives, midfielders with a lion heart, and, attackers who are very efficient. But I'm sure the qualities are here to do that now and for the future even more.
“Some guys never played against a team of this level who will start the game today. So for them, it's it's really interesting. And it's, for me, also really interesting to see how they adapt to that.”
19:39 , Alex Young
And held out they did.
Over to Tottenham, who will go third with victory.
19:35 , Alex Young
Manchester United have scored late against Viktoria Plzen, and will climb into fifth in the Europa League standings if they hold out.
A few minutes of stoppage time left.
19:30 , Alex Young
Archie Gray’s family is from Scotland, though neither his father nor grandfather ever played for Celtic or Rangers.
19:23 , Alex Young
Ange Postecoglou is not the only Spurs man with Celtic links.
Goalkeeper Fraser Forster has spent many a season at the club over various loans and one permanent move, winning the league four times.
19:13 , Alex Young
Much has been said of Rangers failing to convince this season, but they head into this game having won four on the spin and with nine goals scored across their last two games.
Not bad for an unconvincing run.
19:02 , Alex Young
So, as expected, it’s a centre-back pairing of Dragusin and Gray given Spurs’ injuries at the back.
Rangers will sense an opportunity, but will have to get through a stern-looking midfield of Bentancur, Bissouma and Maddison first.
Son leads the line, with Werner and Johnson either side.
18:55 , Alex Young
UEFA have got Johnson in the midfielder three, with Maddison on the right of the front three, but I’d be surprised if that was the case. Expect the reverse.
Team news in full
18:54 , Alex Young
Rangers XI: Butland; Tavernier, Souttar, Propper, Jefte; Raskin, Bajrami; Cerny, Diomande, Yilmaz; Igamane
Subs: Kelly, Cortes, Barron, Bessers, Dowell, Sterling, Balogun, King, McCausland, Fraser, Rice, Curtis
Tottenham XI: Forster; Porro, Dragusin, Gray, Udogie; Bissouma, Bentancur, Maddison; Werner, Johnson, Son
Subs: Austin, Whiteman, Bergvall, Solanke, Kulusevski, Sarr, Lankshear, Dorrington, Olusesi, Williams-Barnett, Hardy
Rangers XI
18:48 , Alex Young
...and the hosts!
🆕 Tonight’s #RangersFC team to face @SpursOfficial.
🗒️ Full Team News: https://t.co/GU2rX04fzj#UEL pic.twitter.com/5QAeLGPEbF— Rangers Football Club (@RangersFC) December 12, 2024
Tottenham XI
18:48 , Alex Young
Here we go then.
Spurs in Scotland! 👊 pic.twitter.com/zPUJNK0Vxq
— Tottenham Hotspur (@SpursOfficial) December 12, 2024
18:36 , Alex Young
Team news is imminent for both teams.
How will Spurs line up in defence?
18:24 , Alex Young
Assuming Gray and Dragusin stay fit, they look set to start the majority of games before the turn of the year but what else could Postecoglou consider before his injured defenders are available again?
Dan Kilpatrick writes: Gray is not a centre-back by trade and Postecoglou may have to call on another player to fill in out of position over the festive schedule.
Last season, the head coach used full-back Emerson Royal and midfielder Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg in the centre of defence, while Davies now spends more time at centre-back than left-back. Neither Pedro Porro nor Destiny Udogie, however, appear especially well-suited to deputising in the middle.
Perhaps Bissouma could do a job in a crisis but, really, there are few compelling options as auxiliary centre-halves in Postecoglou's squad.
Match odds
18:15 , Alex Young
Here’s how the bookies see the game pan out.
Rangers win: 2/1
Draw: 14/5
Spurs win: 11/10
(Odds via Betway.)
Postecoglou on hostile Rangers reception
18:06 , Alex Young
“When I was up here, particularly my first year, they made the Europa League final so I’ve got a pretty clear idea of how challenging it is to play them here in front of that crowd, with the atmosphere.
“But at the same time, it’s exciting. You look forward to big games and I’m sure the players are as well.
“I don't know if it brings out more of me. I mean, I'm like anyone else, I like a bit of love every now and then, mate. But I do enjoy that. I always kind of reflect and, you know, we've all lived it is that once you experience football in empty stadiums, you realise how meaningless it is.
“I felt through that whole period, that Covid period, it was meaningless. So I would win games, as much as you go it could be hostile tomorrow, but yeah that's what we love about the game. That's what brings it to life.
“Ultimately, it is a game that evokes passions and emotions. Sometimes that's not always positive. Like every human being you'd love it to be positive, but it's not gonna happen. You definitely want that as opposed to playing a game in somewhere sterile where you don't have that.”
Prediction
17:56 , Alex Young
The form guide points to a home win. Rangers are on a good run at the moment, while Spurs are not.
However, it wouldn't be a surprise if the north London outfit turned up for the big occasion, just like they have done against both Manchester clubs so far this season.
By no means is it a must-win game for Tottenham but there's a good chance they stop the rot.
Tottenham to win, 3-1.
Tottenham team news
17:48 , Alex Young
Tottenham are in the midst of a defensive injury nightmare with first-choice centre-backs Micky van de Ven and Cristian Romero again missing with new muscle problems.
Radu Dragusin and Archie Gray are expected to deputise in central defence, while Yves Bissouma and Rodrigo Bentancur are all but certain to feature because they are both suspended in the Premier League.
James Maddison is likely to fill the third spot in midfield after starting on the bench for the 4-3 defeat at home to Chelsea on Sunday.
Teenager Will Lankshear could make a third start in the Europa League up front to give Dominic Solanke a rest, while Timo Werner is likely to come into the XI. Brennan Johnson should be fine to feature after illness.
Ben Davies, Wilson Odobert, Richarlison (all hamstring), Guglielmo Vicario (foot) and Mikey Moore (illness) are also sidelined, while Djed Spence and Sergio Reguilon are not in Tottenham’s Europa League squad.
Rangers team news
17:40 , Alex Young
Rangers have no fresh injury concerns ahead of the game, but they will be without Neraysho Kasanwirjo, Tom Lawrence, Oscar Cortes and Rabbi Matondo.
Meanwhile, Danilo and Ianis Hagi are both ineligible for selection due to not being named in the Europa League squad for this stage of the competition.
How to watch Rangers vs Tottenham
17:34 , Alex Young
TV channel: The game will be broadcast live in the UK on TNT Sports 1. Coverage starts at 7pm GMT ahead of an 8pm kick-off.
Live stream: TNT Sports subscribers will also be able to watch on a live stream online via the Discovery+ app and website.
Welcome
17:29 , Alex Young
Good evening and welcome to the Standard’s LIVE coverage of the Europa League clash between Rangers and Tottenham.
It’s a huge game between two British giants and an intriguing one with Spurs struggling with a huge injury crisis which will leave Rangers licking their lips.
Ange Postecoglou, with his Celtic history, is not too popular in the area, but could really do with a win tonight. Kick-off is at 8pm.