Rangers can take another step towards the Europa League this week when they host Maribor for the first leg of their third round qualifying tie on Thursday.
Steven Gerrard has had a bright start at Ibrox after his side beat Croatian side Osijek 2-1 on aggregate in the previous round before starting their Scottish Premiership campaign with a 1-1 draw at Aberdeen, having a man sent off 12 minutes in and conceding a late equaliser.
The Gers have already made it two rounds further than they did under Pedro Caixinha last term, but will be hoping to take a solid lead from Thursday's game to ensure they keep going.
| Game | Rangers vs Maribor |
| Date | Thursday, August 9 |
| Time | 19:45pm BST / 14:45am ET |
TV Channel, Live Stream & How To Watch
The game is not being shown on TV in the United Kingdom or United States, but it will be available to users outside the UK to stream live online via Rangers TV.
| TV channel | Online stream |
|---|---|
| N/A | Rangers TV |
Squads & Team News
| Position | Rangers squad |
|---|---|
| Goalkeepers | Foderingham, McGregor, Alnwick |
| Defenders | Tavernier, John, Wallace, Goldson, Hodson, Flanagan, Katic, Wilson, Beerman |
| Midfielders | Jack, Ejaria, Halliday, Ross McCrorie, Candeias, Docherty, Forrester, Barjonas, Arfield, Burt, Middleton, Coulibaly, Kent |
| Forwards | Murphy, Windass, Morelos, Rudden, Atakayi, Herrera, Sadiq |
Ryan Jack is expected to miss the tie after suffering a head injury against Aberdeen, while Declan John, Jordan Rossiter, Graham Dorrans and Lee Wallace are all still absent.
Next Match
Rangers' new signing Borna Barisic is ineligible for the game.
Potential Rangers XI: McGregor; Tavernier, Goldson, Katic, Flanagan; Coulibaly, McCrorie; Windass, Murphy, Kent; Morelos.
| Position | Maribor players |
|---|---|
| Goalkeepers | Cotman, Piric, Handanovic |
| Defenders | Šuler, Ivković, Uskoković, Doumbia, Viler, Klinar, Kolmanič |
| Midfielders | Vrhovec, Pihler, Cretu, Hotic, Vrsic, Dervisevic |
| Forwards | Tavares, Zahovic, Stor, Bajde, Mesanovic, Mlakar |
Right-back Martin Milec is out because of a knee injury he suffered a few weeks ago, while Aleksander Rajcevic, who has not played this season, did not travel to Glasgow.
Potential Maribor XI: Handanovic, Pihler, Ivkovic, Suler, Viler, Hotic, Vrhovec, Dervisevic, Bajde, Taveres, Zahovic.
Betting & Match Odds
Rangers are 19/20 with Dabblebet to win the first leg, while Maribor are listed 11/4 and a draw is available for 11/5.
Match Preview
Getty Images
Gerrard will be determined to keep his positive start at Rangers going and maintain their hopes of reaching the group stage with another strong home display.
However, The Scottish club's preparations for the game were disrupted slightly by the ongoing European Championships in Glasgow, forcing them to train on Wednesday night.
Furthermore, they have had an offer from West Brom for right-back James Tavernier, which may deprive Gerrard of a key player for the big match.
Rangers may be in good shape, but their Slovenian opponents have had an impressive start to the season.
Maribor have already edged past Partizani and Chikhura Sachkhere in the Europa League qualifiers and sit atop their domestic league after three games, recording 5-0 and 5-2 away wins.
They have a good record against Scottish sides in recent history, too, getting the better of Celtic and Aberdeen in European qualifiers in 2015 and 2016 respectively.
However, having watched Liverpool take on Maribor in the Champions League last term, Gerrard feels he knows what to expect on Thursday.
"I know quite a lot about Maribor," Gerrard said. "I got the chance to see them up close on a couple of occasions.
"They are a good team, they have a bit of Champions League experience, will be feeling very confident so they come to Ibrox in a good place. It will be a difficult challenge."
But Maribor boss Darko Milanic is confident in his strategy for the two legs.
"Rangers will be extremely motivated," he said. "We know their mentality, especially in their home stadium, where they are always focused on attack.
"We have a strategy to get home with a positive result that will enable us to get through. We also need to know how to endure the game, because there will be tension from the crowd, but we have to answer correctly on the field. We have to hope to play, have a desire to win possession and settle down the hosts."
