As Champions League occasions go, they don't come much bigger than a trip to Anfield.
That's what awaits Rangers on Tuesday as they head south of the border for what will surely be a group stage clash to remember. It's not often Scotland and England collide on the biggest club stage and this is certainly one of the most eagerly anticipated 'Battle of Britain' clashes in recent memory.
Giovanni van Bronckhorst 's side arrive on Merseyside as huge underdogs, with the bookies all-but writing off their chances of getting a result. Liverpool were finalists in this competition just a few short months ago but they've had a well-documented struggle at the outset of the new campaign. Jurgen Klopp 's team are languishing 10 places down the Premier League and dropped more points at the weekend in a rollercoaster 3-3 home draw with Brighton.
They did defeat Ajax in their second group stage campaign but it's fair to say they haven't quite banished a bruising 4-1 defeat away at Napoli on match day one. That's why they'll be eager to make a statement when Rangers come to town.
With the oddsmakers not giving them a hope against Klopp's expensively assembled team of superstars, the Ibrox faithful may just cling to any good omens they can. If you believe in such things, Tuesday night's referee is Clement Turpin - who was the man in the middle for Rangers' famous Europa League win away at Dortmund and in Liverpool's UCL Final defeat to Real Madrid back in May. On that basis, he appears to be UEFA's man for the big occasion.
To cling to such things feels like doing the Ibrox side, Europa League finalists themselves last season, a disservice. But it's still worth analysing how the referee will handle this week's big occasion.
Having handled the grandest game in European club football, he's certainly not short on experience, having graduated to the big one from the 2021 Europa League Final. That was a quiet night for Turpin in terms of dishing out cards as he issued only one, to Madrid's Vinicius Jr.
In general, however, he's not shy in taking names. Turpin has dished out 42 bookings in his last 14 games. As a Frenchman, his regular beat is in Ligue 1, refereeing in his homeland's top-flght since 2008.
