What lies in wait for Rangers in their Europa League opener against Malmo?

Two days before their Europa League opening game against Rangers, Malmo posted a message to their opponents on social media.

It read: “Welcome back to Malmö, Rangers FC. We’ve missed you”.

But before any Rangers fan could get overwhelmed by the gesture of friendship, the video attached to the message made it clear it was more of a warning than a welcome.

Over footage of the two most recent ties between the teams, on-screen text read: “When we met in 2011… you ended up in the fourth division. When we met in 2021… you ended up in the Europa League final.”

It hardly needs said that Malmo came out on top in both of those encounters, and Rangers only reached the Europa League final after the Swedes had ended their hopes of Champions League football that season.

This time around, both are in the second-tier competition and will only meet once in the new-look league phase of the tournament. With every point vital in the quest to reach the knockout stages, it’s clear to see why Malmo might be keen to welcome a side that’s only known disappointment against the Swedish outfit.

Henrik Rydstrom described the social media post as “a bit of fun” and the Malmo boss knows as well as anyone that the encounters of the past will have little or no bearing on Thursday’s result.

However, while acknowledging that an “intense and tough” game is likely, he also spoke with confidence about his own side. And no wonder.

Rangers’ run to the final two-and-a half-years ago is a good part of the reason why the Ibrox side were among the top seeds for the league phase draw. While European regulars, Malmo’s results over recent years meant they were the lowest ranked in the third pot and, on paper, should be among the easiest of Rangers’ eight opponents.

But while they may not have had long runs deep into European competition, Malmo’s form over the last couple of years means Rangers should be wary of their opponents on Thursday night. Last season’s title was won only by the tightest of margins, on goal difference over Elfsborg, but they also added the Swedish Cup to their trophy cabinet with a win over Djurgardens in May.

This season’s European qualifiers brought a 6-4 win over Icelandic side KI, and a thrilling 6-5 aggregate victory over PAOK in the Champions League qualifying but that was followed by a home and away defeat to Sparta Prague. League form has been far better though.

The Swedish top flight is heading into the home straight, with 24 of the 30 games played and Malmo hold a commanding 11-point lead at the top of the table.  

The team are unbeaten in their last seven Allsvenskan matches and have won their last two home games 4-0.

Last season’s league top scorer Isaac Kiese Thelin has 13 goals under his belt this time around, while Sebastian Nanasi leads the league for assists. Goalkeeper Johan Dahlin has more clean sheets than anyone else in the Swedish top flight.

It’s a team packed with experience, including 34-year-old midfielder Andreas Christiansen, who has three goals from his last two games, and with a sprinkling of talented youth, such as Otto Rosengren and Hugo Bolin, who has found the net seven times this term.

Rangers, of course, had to wait through the international break to begin to put right the wrongs of a comprehensive defeat to Celtic that laid bare the challenges they will face on the domestic front.

Wins over the two Dundee sides have helped restore a bit of pride since then but success in Europe would go a long way to building confidence in Philippe Clement’s squad.

Rangers are also looking to bounce back from their recent European disappointment, with the loss to Dynamo Kyiv in Champions League qualifying having been a high-profile and costly set-back as Clement looks to rebuild and grown the team.

Jefte’s controversial sending off in the match against Kyiv at Hampden means the Brazilian left-back won’t play any part against Malmo. Ridvan Yilmaz remains on the sidelines, leaving left back as an issue to be solved. Dujon Sterling could slot in but it’s probably the least-favoured of the many positions the versatile former Chelsea payer can fill.

Danilo and Rabbi Matondo haven’t been named in the Europa League squad but summer signings Hamza Igmane, Robin Propper, Neraysho Kasanwirjo, Connor Barron, Nedim Bajrami and Vaclav Cerny are all included. Oscar Cortes is registered but it was revealed on Wednesday that he’ll be out for several weeks through injury.

SNS Group

Clement hasn’t named an unchanged side all season, and Jefte’s ban means there will be at least one change when the sides come out at the Eleda Stadion. With some of the new faces having settled or found fitness quicker than others, and with some of the established names having shown mixed form in a difficult start to the season, there are decisions to be made.

The Rangers boss has, not unreasonably, stressed that it will take time to get his side looking and playing the way he wants it. Though the Europa League is now expanded and has eight games in the league phase, it’s still a short-form competition and the manager will be aware that there isn’t likely to be time to turn around a bad start.

Lyon, Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur all lie in wait later in the competition, meaning points against the lesser seeds are pretty much essential to any ambition to progress in the tournament.

Three points on Thursday won’t guarantee anything, and a win over Malmo certainly wouldn’t indicate a run to the final, but a strong start would be a vital boost for Clement and his players, as well as being welcome content for the Rangers social media team whenever the teams next meet.

Follow STV News on WhatsApp

Scan the QR code on your mobile device for all the latest news from around the country