Rangers return to European action on Thursday night in a highly-anticipated clash with Spurs at Ibrox.
Both sides have enjoyed a strong Europa League campaign so far and know that victory in front of a packed stadium in Govan would be a huge step toward automatic qualification for the last 16 of the competition.
The stakes are high and the “Battle of Britain” element adds an extra layer to the drama but the return of Spurs manager Ange Postecoglou to Glasgow gives added spice to an already intriguing game.
The Australian transformed the Celtic squad during his two years in charge across Glasgow and delivered a Premiership and League Cup double in his first year before securing a treble in his second season.
His attacking style won plaudits and his work and success earned him the love of the Celtic support before he said his farewells and headed south to take on the challenge of improving Spurs.
Postecoglou’s frank and forthright manner, as well as his commitment to his high-octane brand of football, entertained supporters and the media in his first season in England, and a fifth-placed finish showed promise.
But this season has been a far more bumpy ride and Spurs travel north while sitting in 11th place in the Premier League and Postecoglou under pressure.
It’s been less than three weeks since Spurs picked Manchester City apart in a 4-0 win at the Etihad but that victory, the largest margin of defeat in Pep Guardiola’s managerial career, is the only win in seven games for Postecoglou’s side.
Defeats to Ipswich, Bournemouth and Chelsea have dented league ambitions, while a loss away to Galatasaray and a draw at home with Roma have seen them slip down the Europa League table after winning their opening three games.
The manager isn’t lacking for injury trouble either, with six first-team players already ruled out and doubts over the readiness of Brennan Johnson and Mickey van de Ven. Guillermo Vicario’s place on the injured list means former Celtic goalkeeper Fraser Forster will be in action at Ibrox once again.
Postecoglou has already spoken about his own expectations of an “intense” atmosphere.
“I’m looking forward to it,” he told Sky Sports this week. “I had a great time up there in the two years I was there [at Celtic]. Fair to say, Ibrox can be fairly intense and I’m sure we’ll feel that.
SNS Group“But it’s a great stadium to play football in. The atmosphere, European nights. Even when I was there, they did awfully well in Europe – the first year I was there they got to the Europa League final.
“So you know how European nights, irrespective of their league form, they really rise for, so it’s a good challenge for us.
“I’m also looking forward to being back in Glasgow and feeling the cold again and hopefully see some friendly faces among the others.”
While Postecoglou comes into the game on a run of poor results and under pressure, his Rangers counterpart Philippe Clement has weathered a recent storm and put together a winning run ahead of a huge week for the club.
Three weeks ago – on the same day Spurs demolished Manchester City – Rangers drew 1-1 at home to Dundee United, putting in an uninspiring performance that left the team 11 points behind Celtic. It also meant they had dropped 13 points in 12 Premiership matches.
Clement dismissed questions about the gap, saying all that was important was putting in the hard work to improve results. Over the past four games, they have delivered points.
SNS GroupThe 4-1 win over Nice in their last Europa League game was a huge boost to hopes of progress and that was followed by a narrow win at St Johnstone, a 6-0 trouncing of Kilmarnock and a 3-0 win over Ross County in Dingwall.
That’s lifted spirits and hopes that the team has found a groove ahead of the Spurs test and Sunday’s Premier Sports Cup final against Celtic at Hampden.
Clement will also have been pleased by the sudden increase in his attacking options. The early months of the season saw the goalscoring burden fall on the shoulders of Cyriel Dessers, who has attracted more attention for the chances he’s missed than the 12 goals he’s scored.
But summer signing Hamza Igamane has seen his minutes increase, while Brazilian striker Danilo has been eased back in since a long injury lay-off. Both scored in the win over County as Dessers dropped to the bench. Ianis Hagi has also returned to the fold after a contract issue was resolved.
Neither Hagi or Danilo are in the European squad though, meaning Clement will be forced to make changes for Spurs. The manager has big calls to make in a number of positions, and could revert to the side that performed so well in their last European game.
Delivering a positive result against English Premier League opposition would be huge for Rangers at the start of a big four days.
A win would see the team well-placed to skip the play-offs and go straight to the last 16 of the Europa League. It would also be a huge boost ahead of contesting the first silverware of the season against their rivals on Sunday.
And as well as raising the decibel level on another huge European occasion at Ibrox, it could pile more pressure on a manager who took pride in getting the better of Rangers as he collected trophies at Parkhead.
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