Rangers suffered a heavy defeat in their last Europa League tie clash but Philippe Clement can’t afford a repeat as Steaua Bucharest head to Govan.
The Romanians aren’t in the same class as Lyon, who eased to a 4-1 triumph earlier this month, but they will still pose a real threat with two wins from their opening two games in the competition. But in saying that, FCSB have already stated they’ll be fielding a second string.
Rangers were rattled at the weekend after slumping to defeat at Kilmarnock in the Scottish Premiership and that has seen the pressure cranked right up on Clement. The Belgian must get a result. Will the game give the Light Blues a boost? The Record Sportteam has their say.
Andy Newport
Rangers were awful on Killie’s Ayrshire astro on Sunday but with a full house at Ibrox behind them they are always a different animal. A win would do wonders for confidence levels and lift some of the pressure weighing down on Clement’s shoulders.
Rangers 2 Steaua 1
Keith Jackson
Rangers can’t afford another shoddy performance against the Romanians. This is arguably the most winnable tie of the group phase and anything less than three points is unthinkable.
Rangers 2 Steaua 1
Craig Swan
Philippe Clement desperately needs a positive result and he can get one against the Romanians, provided his team improves from their subdued showing in Kilmarnock. Lyon were too much in game two, but a repeat of the performance against Malmo can be enough.
Rangers 2 Steaua 1
Gavin Berry
These sides shared the spoils the last time they met at Ibrox almost 30 years ago and a repeat scoreline could be on the cards. The Romanians already have a couple of wins in this competition and will be a tough nut to crack and a draw won’t do anything to ease the pressure on Philippe Clement.
Rangers 1 Steaua 1
Fraser Wilson
Rangers need to get off to a strong start or the anger that’s bubbling away among fans could turn Ibrox into a cauldron of the wrong sort for Philippe Clement’s side. The Romanians are in fine form having gone 10 games unbeaten while Rangers appear to be regressing. This could be another damaging night for the manager.
Rangers 1 Steaua 2
Graeme Young
Rangers have leaned on beating the teams they should in recent seasons in Europe on home turf, however, Steau don’t appear the types to offer meek resistance. They know a win will have them with one foot in the knockouts. Rangers needs something special but it appears inspiration is in short supply.
Rangers 1 Steau 1