Match preview: Rangers vs SL Benfica

By Sam Mcgonigle

Ibrox is the venue for tonight’s UEFA Europa League clash

Rangers and Benfica will face off once again in the UEFA Europa League, with it all still to play for. The tie is on a knife edge and it is up in the air as to who will make it through to the quarter-final after that thrilling 2-2 draw at the Estadio da Luz.

Rangers potentially have the edge in this tie, being the home team with the raucous Ibrox atmosphere behind them.

The first leg was a tasty encounter, with each team trading blows against one another. The game started quickly with Rangers taking a surprise lead through Tom Lawerence with a cute header from the penalty spot. The game was then levelled after Angel Di Maria slotted home calmly from the penalty spot following a questionable decision from the referee.

Rangers took the lead again before the break after Dujon Sterling tapped in Fabio Silva’s shot. Benfica hit back once more as Connor Goldson headed past Jack Butland to score an own goal and ultimately tie the game at 2-2.

Despite drawing 2-2, Rangers looked the much better side in Portugal. Players like John Souttar and Ridvan Yilmaz to name a few left their hearts out on the pitch in a very inspiring performance from Phillipe Clement’s men.

Benfica enter the second leg in some poor form of late - a 2-1 defeat to Sporting CP in the cup, a 5-0 thrashing by Porto and a 2-2 draw with Rangers. Rodger Schmidt is under some serious pressure, more so if they fail to knock out Rangers this evening.

Heading into the match tonight, Rangers have only lost three games at home in the Europa League since 2017, winning 24 and drawing seven, with one of these draws coming against Benfica.

Rangers home record against Portuguese clubs is astonishing having been unbeaten against them for the past 53 years, stretching back to a 3-2 win over Sporting CP in 1971. The latest was that memorable 3-1 win over Braga in their journey to the Europa League final in 2022.

Benfica do have a reasonable record away from home this season though, picking up 26 points from a possible 36. However, it is in the big games whilst travelling is where they have slumped. They fell to a 5-0 defeat by Porto, then crumbled to a 2-1 defeat against Sporting and they just about held on to a 0-0 draw with Toulouse. They haven't been fantastic, but they have real quality throughout the squad, with players such as Joao Neves, Angel Di Maria, Nicolas Otamendi. The list can go on and on. This squad is worth hundreds of millions.

Rangers manager Clement has insisted that they will be the underdogs heading into tonight looking to shock Europe whilst also saying that the “whole of Europe will notice Rangers” should the Ibrox club win tonight.

If the second leg is anything like the first, we could be in for a treat (Image: Getty Images)

Tonight is pivotal for Rangers in many a sense. They need to keep winning and keep the momentum up as they head towards the business end of the season, despite having eight first-team players out injured at the moment. However, the return of fan favourite Todd Cantwell will be a sight that many Rangers fans have been desperate for.

Rangers must be on top form to get past this Benfica side. They must show real fight and desire and prove that they want to go through. If they start slowly or cannot get themselves up for it, then they may be in for a very tough night. As for Benfica, they need this just as much, if not more than Rangers. They need to quickly recover from the last three weeks, lick their wounds and prepare correctly for what is sure to be an intense, hostile and frantic game.

It will not be a walk in the park for either side but based on what we saw last Thursday, it looks as if Rangers have too much quality and fight compared to this Benfica squad. Rangers captain James Tavernier could be pivotal tonight with his set-piece delivery, his ability to run deep into the back post and his leadership skills. The man to look out for has to be Joao Neves of Benfica, the 19-year-old set the game alight last week, so definitely keep an eye out for him.