Source: TheGuardian
Villarreal v Rangers: Europa League – live!
• Europa League updates from the 5.55pm BST Group G game• Rangers without suspended Kyle Lafferty and Jon Flanagan• Feel free to email Paul or tweet @Paul_Doyle 11.58am BST Hello and welcome to Rangers’ first European group game for eight years and what a doozy it is. Villarreal, regulars in the knockout stages of the Europa League, may have made a so-so strong start to their domestic season but they got their first La Liga win away to Leganes at the weekend and boast a raft of fine players (e.g. Santi Cazorla, Carlos Bacca, Gerard Moreno) who could inflict serious pain on Steven Gerrard’s side. But Rangers have shown their resilience to get this far, fighting their way through eight preliminary matches (sometimes a tad too literally, which is why Alfredo Morelos and Jon Flanagan are suspended today) and are determined to eke out at least a point today to enhance their chances of progressing from a group that also includes Spartak Moscow and Rapid Vienna. In fact, Gerrard has even suggested his team are motivated by the possibility of becoming the first Rangers team to beat a Spanish side on their own patch, with their 12 previous attempts having yielded 10 defeats and two draws. Rangers’ history, of course, does include one momentous win in Spain: the 1972 Cup Winners Cup final, when Willie Waddell’s men threatened to humiliate Dinamo Moscow in Barcelona, racing into a 3-0 lead before conceding two goals for dramatic effect and clinging on for a famous 3-2 victory. Here’s what Gerrard’s team should be watching in the dressing room before kickoff today: Continue reading......read full article
