Spurs are in Scotland tonight as they look to arrest their alarming slide in form, in a game which will have added significance for manager Ange Postecoglou. Spurs have just one win in seven games, including four defeats, which came at fellow strugglers Manchester City. While their domestic form has suffered, so has their Europa League exploits.
Defeat in Galatasaray was followed by a last-gasp, and very frustrating, draw to Roma, leaves Spurs level on points with tonight’s opponents, after five games and in danger of not earning a top-eight finish and therefore skipping the play-off round. A ruinous injury crisis has made matters far harder and has given Rangers hope of an upset.
Spurs are without their first-, second- and fourth-choice centre-backs and their first-choice keeper, among other absentees, as Postecoglou returns to Scotland for the first time since his trophy-laden two-year spell with Celtic. He faced Rangers 11 times and won six, losing just three. Follow the game LIVE below with our dedicated match blog, featuring expert insight and analysis from Dan Kilpatrick at Ibrox.
Rangers vs Tottenham latest updates
- GOAL! Kulusevski levels it up
- GOAL! Igamane fires home early in second half
Full-time!
22:05 , Alex Young94min: Points shared in Glasgow!
91min: Oh, Solanke should score! Maddison opts to go for the pass inside of shoot inside the area and finds Solanke for a weak header at goa,
Tough.
Three minutes added on.
90min: This could go either way, as we approach injury time.
NO GOAL!
21:47 , Alex Young87min: Dessers thinks he has made amends as he tucks home at the back post, but the offside flag is up!
Rangers in the ascendency!
85min: HOW DID DESSERS MISS?!
Well, replays show it’s a stunning save from Fosters, but the substitute should have tucked it home from point-blank save.
83min: Solanke and Kulusevski almost combine with some head tennis before for a shot on goal, but the former is eventually crowded out.
80min: Igamane and Yilmaz are off for Dessers and Fraser.
79min: Igamane looks dead on his feet, he’ll be coming off.
Dan Kilpatrick at Ibrox
21:37 , Alex YoungSpurs will now be sensing the opportunity to grab a winner in the last 15 minutes after Kulusevski's well-taken equaliser.
Rangers have given everything and you wonder how much they have left in the tank against a Spurs side with plenty of fresh legs on the field.
GOAL!
21:3575min: There is it! Super-sub Kulusevski passes the ball into the back of the net after Maddison is turned inside the area.
74min: Heading into the final 15 minutes and Spurs still searching for a goal, or two.
Butland only tested just twice all game.
73min: Bergvall booked for a foul on Raskin. That looked soft and the midfielder is right to complain.
69min: Cerny and Bajrami are off for Celtic, Sterling and Barron are on.
Cerny has been a handful all night.
66min: You start to think if Rangers will be the ones to get nervy as they clock ticks down. Spurs pushing them more and more back as they throw caution to the wind.
Porro tests Butland from a tight angle.
64min: Maddison goes short to Kulusevski to change the angle but sends his shot over.
63min: Son tries to front up Tavernier and loses out, but then Maddison is fouled on the edge of the area.
61min: Corner comes in, it’s punched clear and Bergvall meets an awkward volley wide with his first touch.
60min: Now Spurs win a corner off Udogie after Cerny gives the ball away.
Solanke, Bergvall and Sarr are on for Johnson, Bentancur and Bissouma.
59min: It’s whipped in but cleared... but again Spurs give the ball away almost immediately.
Three warming up for Spurs.
58min: Rangers win another corner.
57min: Heart-in-mouth as Igamane slides in on Forster but the keeper beats him to the ball.
56min: Rangers now sitting back a tad and waiting for a Spurs mistake to pounce upon.
54min: Half a chance for Spurs as Kulusevski cuts the ball back for Johnson but the ball is slightly behind the winger and can only bend a shot wide.
52min: Solanke is warming up.
Dan Kilpatrick at Ibrox
21:08 , Alex YoungThe decibels in Ibrox have now risen to deafening levels after Igamane's cool, first-time finish. It has to go down as another soft goal for Spurs to concede and rampos up the heat on Ange Postecoglou here in the Glaswegian cold.
GOAL!
21:07 , Alex Young47min: First chance of the second half and Rangers take it!
A sweeping cross from the right evades Dragusin, Gray and Porro and Igamane fires back across Forster!
Second half!
21:04 , Alex Young46min: Back underway.
Kulusevski is on for Werner.
Kulusevski is warming up, he’ll be coming on.
Teams are back out.
Postecoglou will have plenty to say to his team, who looked nervy at times.
A Rangers goal looked like it was only a matter of time, but individual quality and decision-making let Spurs off the hook.
Dan Kilpatrick at Ibrox
20:50 , Alex YoungRangers have comfortably had the better of the chances, with Fraser Forster producing three sharp saves on his return to Glasgow.
Spurs have been sloppy and I suspect we will see Kulusevski and/or Solanke before long. Archie Gray has been solid enough at centre-back, barring a couple of loose passes.
Half-time!
20:47 , Alex Young47min: Big save from Forster on Cerney in the final seconds, and that’s the half.
46min: One minute added.
43min: Rangers pushing as half-time approaches.
41min: Bentancur tries to make something happen by whipping the ball into the area... but there’s just no one in the middle! Such a waste.
39min: Corner comes in, is cleared and then drops to Werner to set up Johnson for a tap in... which Butland does brilliantly to save!
But the offside flag is up anyway.
38min: Free kick is floated towards Johnson and Rangers concede a corner.
37min: Now Maddison is down after a late challenge from behind. He’ll be fine as Spurs win a free kick around 30 yards out.
35min: Oof, that looks like a groin injury to Souttar. Not good news for the defender with Celtic up next at the weekend.
Balogun is on.
34min: Pause in play as Souttar sits down on the deck. He may not be able to continue.
31min: Cerney tries his luck from distance but it sails over the bar.
31min: Is the pressure getting to Spurs? Now Dragusin rolls the ball out of play without a Rangers player near him.
29min: Brilliant ping from Forster to Werner looks to set Spurs on the counter, but the winger miscontrols and the ball trickles out of play.
Dan Kilpatrick at Ibrox
20:28 , Alex YoungOddly, Postecoglou's return to Glasgow has felt like a total non-event.
There's been no obvious chanting against the former Celtic boss so far, but he'll be concerned at the way Rangers are growing into this game.
26min: Oh my word, Rangers should score!
Bajrami looks certain to tap home at the back post after a fine, drilled cross across the face of goal... but seems to pull his foot away at the vital moment!
24min: Bentancur heads away the corner and Spurs eventually break through Son, who tries to find Bentancur but the cross was a yard or two off.
23min: As I typed that, Gray got in a great block after a Porro mistake. Rangers corner.
22min: Gray likes to go for a wander, which isn’t a bad thing, but he keeps being met with a Rangers shirt to leave his team-mates to mop up,
Got away with it so far, but it’s risky.
20min: First booking of the night for Diomande as the midfielder literally slaps the ball in mid-air.
18min: Maddison seeing far more of the ball, starting to knit things together for Spurs.
17min: Corner comes in, is cleared by Rangers who try to break but Udogie is back to mop up.
16min: Johnson wins the ball higher up the pitch, the ball falls to Maddison to have a pop at goal and wins a corner.
15min: Spurs starting to see more of the ball in the last few minutes.
Dan Kilpatrick at Ibrox
20:13 , Alex YoungAs expected, Rangers are up for this game and they've already won a few big challenges, lifting the crowd.
There's plenty of technical quality in this Spurs XI but you do wonder about their grit when the likes of Solanke, Kulusevski and Romero are missing.
12min: Up the other end, Maddison darts into the area to cut the ball back for Son to toe-poke an effort at goal. Easy for Butland.
11min: Corner is whipped in, Fraster opts to punch rather than catch... and then Yilmaz skies one from the edge of the area.
10min: Lovely counter from Rangers, sweeping from inside their own half and ends with Bajrami to force a corner.
9min: Son goes down looking for a free kick, referee tells him to get up as the ball rolls to Udogie and then Werner to whip an effort wide of the far post.
6min: Rangers the team pushing most at the moment, roared on by the raucous home support.
4min: Both sides getting forward in the early stages.
3min: Gray shows some nice composure when under pressure for the first time. That will help the young lad.
2min: Foster’s first touch and it’s met with deafening boos.
1min: Werner wins a corner straight away after being found by Johnson. Maddison takes and it’s straight into Butland’s arms.
Kick-off!
20:01 , Alex Young1min: Here we go!
Dan Kilpatrick at Ibrox
19:59 , Alex YoungIn spite of what Ange Postecoglou has described as the worst injury crisis of his career, he is still able to name a strong XI for his return to Glasgow.
It will be interesting to see how Celtic-supporting teenager Archie Gray fares at centre-half this evening with the 18-year-old likely to be needed in defence for the rest of the year.
There's been no sign of Postecoglou yet but former Celtic goalkeeper Fraser Forster was loudly booed when the teams were read out, giving an idea of the recepting awaiting the Spurs boss.
Here come the teams!
It’s really hotting up (not literally) inside the ground. Not long to go.
Philippe Clement to TNT Sports
19:49 , Alex Young“Of course, [the financial gap between clubs] can be bridged, and it's been done so many times before, in my past, but with a lot of teams and with Rangers also.
“So, of course, it can, but then you need everybody to perform at his best. You need a goalkeeper who makes some amazing saves. You need defenders to play the the game of their lives, midfielders with a lion heart, and, attackers who are very efficient. But I'm sure the qualities are here to do that now and for the future even more.
“Some guys never played against a team of this level who will start the game today. So for them, it's it's really interesting. And it's, for me, also really interesting to see how they adapt to that.”
And held out they did.
Over to Tottenham, who will go third with victory.
Manchester United have scored late against Viktoria Plzen, and will climb into fifth in the Europa League standings if they hold out.
A few minutes of stoppage time left.
Archie Gray’s family is from Scotland, though neither his father nor grandfather ever played for Celtic or Rangers.
Ange Postecoglou is not the only Spurs man with Celtic links.
Goalkeeper Fraser Forster has spent many a season at the club over various loans and one permanent move, winning the league four times.
Much has been said of Rangers failing to convince this season, but they head into this game having won four on the spin and with nine goals scored across their last two games.
Not bad for an unconvincing run.
So, as expected, it’s a centre-back pairing of Dragusin and Gray given Spurs’ injuries at the back.
Rangers will sense an opportunity, but will have to get through a stern-looking midfield of Bentancur, Bissouma and Maddison first.
Son leads the line, with Werner and Johnson either side.
UEFA have got Johnson in the midfielder three, with Maddison on the right of the front three, but I’d be surprised if that was the case. Expect the reverse.
Team news in full
18:54 , Alex YoungRangers XI: Butland; Tavernier, Souttar, Propper, Jefte; Raskin, Bajrami; Cerny, Diomande, Yilmaz; Igamane
Subs: Kelly, Cortes, Barron, Bessers, Dowell, Sterling, Balogun, King, McCausland, Fraser, Rice, Curtis
Tottenham XI: Forster; Porro, Dragusin, Gray, Udogie; Bissouma, Bentancur, Maddison; Werner, Johnson, Son
Subs: Austin, Whiteman, Bergvall, Solanke, Kulusevski, Sarr, Lankshear, Dorrington, Olusesi, Williams-Barnett, Hardy
Rangers XI
18:48 , Alex Young...and the hosts!
🆕 Tonight’s #RangersFC team to face @SpursOfficial.
— Rangers Football Club (@RangersFC) December 12, 2024
🗒️ Full Team News: https://t.co/GU2rX04fzj#UEL pic.twitter.com/5QAeLGPEbF
Tottenham XI
18:48 , Alex YoungHere we go then.
Spurs in Scotland! 👊 pic.twitter.com/zPUJNK0Vxq
— Tottenham Hotspur (@SpursOfficial) December 12, 2024
Team news is imminent for both teams.
How will Spurs line up in defence?
18:24 , Alex YoungAssuming Gray and Dragusin stay fit, they look set to start the majority of games before the turn of the year but what else could Postecoglou consider before his injured defenders are available again?
Dan Kilpatrick writes: Gray is not a centre-back by trade and Postecoglou may have to call on another player to fill in out of position over the festive schedule.
Last season, the head coach used full-back Emerson Royal and midfielder Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg in the centre of defence, while Davies now spends more time at centre-back than left-back. Neither Pedro Porro nor Destiny Udogie, however, appear especially well-suited to deputising in the middle.
Perhaps Bissouma could do a job in a crisis but, really, there are few compelling options as auxiliary centre-halves in Postecoglou's squad.
Match odds
18:15 , Alex YoungHere’s how the bookies see the game pan out.
- Rangers win: 2/1
- Draw: 14/5
- Spurs win: 11/10
(Odds via Betway.)
Postecoglou on hostile Rangers reception
18:06 , Alex Young“When I was up here, particularly my first year, they made the Europa League final so I’ve got a pretty clear idea of how challenging it is to play them here in front of that crowd, with the atmosphere.
“But at the same time, it’s exciting. You look forward to big games and I’m sure the players are as well.
“I don't know if it brings out more of me. I mean, I'm like anyone else, I like a bit of love every now and then, mate. But I do enjoy that. I always kind of reflect and, you know, we've all lived it is that once you experience football in empty stadiums, you realise how meaningless it is.
“I felt through that whole period, that Covid period, it was meaningless. So I would win games, as much as you go it could be hostile tomorrow, but yeah that's what we love about the game. That's what brings it to life.
“Ultimately, it is a game that evokes passions and emotions. Sometimes that's not always positive. Like every human being you'd love it to be positive, but it's not gonna happen. You definitely want that as opposed to playing a game in somewhere sterile where you don't have that.”
Prediction
17:56 , Alex YoungThe form guide points to a home win. Rangers are on a good run at the moment, while Spurs are not.
However, it wouldn't be a surprise if the north London outfit turned up for the big occasion, just like they have done against both Manchester clubs so far this season.
By no means is it a must-win game for Tottenham but there's a good chance they stop the rot.
Tottenham to win, 3-1.
Tottenham team news
17:48 , Alex YoungTottenham are in the midst of a defensive injury nightmare with first-choice centre-backs Micky van de Ven and Cristian Romero again missing with new muscle problems.
Radu Dragusin and Archie Gray are expected to deputise in central defence, while Yves Bissouma and Rodrigo Bentancur are all but certain to feature because they are both suspended in the Premier League.
James Maddison is likely to fill the third spot in midfield after starting on the bench for the 4-3 defeat at home to Chelsea on Sunday.
Teenager Will Lankshear could make a third start in the Europa League up front to give Dominic Solanke a rest, while Timo Werner is likely to come into the XI. Brennan Johnson should be fine to feature after illness.
Ben Davies, Wilson Odobert, Richarlison (all hamstring), Guglielmo Vicario (foot) and Mikey Moore (illness) are also sidelined, while Djed Spence and Sergio Reguilon are not in Tottenham’s Europa League squad.
Rangers team news
17:40 , Alex YoungRangers have no fresh injury concerns ahead of the game, but they will be without Neraysho Kasanwirjo, Tom Lawrence, Oscar Cortes and Rabbi Matondo.
Meanwhile, Danilo and Ianis Hagi are both ineligible for selection due to not being named in the Europa League squad for this stage of the competition.
How to watch Rangers vs Tottenham
17:34 , Alex YoungTV channel: The game will be broadcast live in the UK on TNT Sports 1. Coverage starts at 7pm GMT ahead of an 8pm kick-off.
Live stream: TNT Sports subscribers will also be able to watch on a live stream online via the Discovery+ app and website.
Welcome
17:29 , Alex YoungGood evening and welcome to the Standard’s LIVE coverage of the Europa League clash between Rangers and Tottenham.
It’s a huge game between two British giants and an intriguing one with Spurs struggling with a huge injury crisis which will leave Rangers licking their lips.
Ange Postecoglou, with his Celtic history, is not too popular in the area, but could really do with a win tonight. Kick-off is at 8pm.