Rangers goalkeeper Jack Butland says centre-backs John Souttar and Robin Propper "have both been brilliant" during the club's recent run of clean sheets. (Sun), external
Butland is relishing Rangers being the underdog as they prepare to host Lyon in the Europa League. (Herald - subscription), external
Image source, ReutersLyon manager Pierre Sage says his side have to put in a "historic performance" to get a result against Rangers at Ibrox.
The French side travel to Govan on Thursday night for their second Europa League match.
"We've already played away at some tough atmospheres," Sage said.
"Played some really good teams like Rennes recently. So the team should know and deal with this kind of thing.
"But nonetheless, we are playing against a historic club, in a historic stadium, and we need to put in a historic performance.
"This is what football is all about. It's the reason why we all fall in love with the game when we’re younger, because we want to play in these big, historic stadiums.
"We want to have those unforgettable nights. And we're just proud to be able to experience them now, whether that's the staff, whether that's the players."
Image source, SNSRangers and Lyon have faced one another four times in European competition, with the French side winning two of them - both at Ibrox - and the Glasgow outfit one.
The sides drew their most recent meeting 1-1, a Europa League group-stage game in December 2021 in France, with Scott Wright's opener cancelled out by a Calvin Bassey own goal.
Lyon won the earlier reverse fixture 2-0, which is Rangers' only home loss in their most recent 17 home games in the group/league stage of the Uefa Cup/Europa League, winning 11 of them.
Rangers and Lyon famously both won 3-0 away from home when they met in the Champions League group stage in 2007.
Rangers have won seven and lost 12 of their 27 matches against French opposition, the latest being that Europa League clash with Lyon three years ago.
Lyon have won five and lost two of their eight meetings with Scottish teams, winning three of their four away games.
Lyon are unbeaten in their latest seven Europa League away games, winning six of them.
Rangers have won four consecutive games - and all five of their home games this season - and are third in the Scottish Premiership.
Lyon have lost just one of their latest five games and sit 11th in Ligue 1.
Lyon midfielder Rayan Cherki has been involved in four goals in just four starts in the Europa League (3 goals, 1 assist), scoring their opener in the 2-0 win over Olympiakos this season.
Image source, SNSThe Europa League "brings out the best in the players and fans" at Rangers, says manager Phillipe Clement.
Previewing the first league phase game at Ibrox against Lyon on Thursday, Clement said he is hoping for more "special nights" like his side experienced last season.
He knows it won't be easy, though, and admitted victory against the French outfit would be,"a huge thing", due to the vast difference in budget.
"It’s a totally different competition, you need to do other things," Clement said of the Europa League.
"It gets the best out of the players and the crowd. The European nights were the most special and I hope to see that tomorrow.
"Of course, we are also realistic about a very good team in Lyon. For me, it is the level of Benfica, who we met last season.
"If you see the difference in budget and the money they’ve spent, I know a lot of players from my time in Monaco and those they brought in for 20, 25, 30 million - it’s a different world and we know that, but we will fight with our qualities towards them like we did against Betis and Benfica."
To pick up another famous win under the Ibrox lights, Clement said, "a few players will need to go above their level".
"Winning against Lyon would be a huge thing. Even a draw would be a very good result, if you see the budget difference," he added.
"We go full for that and the three points, not to play only for one point. We need everyone on top and a few players to go above their level, to have an amazing evening with the fans like a 12th player on the pitch."
'I'd like to have financial problems at Rangers' - Clement jokes about Lyon spending
Kheredine Idessane
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter
Image source, SNSPhillipe Clement has been addressing the media ahead of Rangers' Europa League encounter with Lyon on Thursday.
Here are the key points he made:
Ianis Hagi's contract situation is "now fixed" and is training with the squad again... "he's like a new signing".
Clement confirmed the Romania international has been training and playing with the B team to keep his fitness up. He said, "we will assess where he is at so he can try and fight for his place in the squad".
Dujon Sterling "deserves" a new contract and it is "important" to keep versatile players.
The manager says a draw at home to Lyon tomorrow would be, "a very, very good result," given the gulf in spending power between the two teams. "We all need to be realistic".
The French side have a huge advantage as they can "sign £25-£30m players".
In response to Lyon's financial problems, Clement replied, "if that's the case, I would like to have similar financial problems at Rangers".
The manager confirmed Diomande will be in the squad tomorrow but Yilmaz will not be available, despite being back in training.
Alasdair Lamont
BBC Sport Scotland Commentator
Rangers head into a tough-looking Europa League tie against Lyon off the back of an unconvincing and somewhat perplexing display against Hibs on Sunday, particularly given that it came in the wake of probably their best display of the season in Malmo.
Although they got the crucial three points that keep them, just about, on the coat-tails of Celtic and Aberdeen, it was difficult to fathom why there was a lack of intensity and verve about a team playing in front of a full house at their own stadium for the first time this season.
It does suggest that rotating the squad is not a luxury Philippe Clement can particularly afford, if those given their opportunity to start are not going to grasp that with a bit more desire.
However, it is a fourth straight win with a clean sheet and a sixth in seven (albeit the 3-0 defeat by Celtic sticks out like a sore thumb within that run) so there are certainly positives on which to build.
John Souttar has been excellent at the start of the campaign, flourishing as he puts a run of games together as the senior figure in central defence and Robin Propper is growing into the role alongside him, looking more comfortable with every passing game. Neraysho Kasanwirjo looks promising as well and will be pushing hard for a starting place very soon.
Dujon Sterling’s importance to the squad was underlined with the reward of a new four-year contract but the week’s most surprising news came in the shape of Ianis Hagi’s return to the first-team squad, with Clement previously having made it clear the Romanian wasn’t in his plans.
It will be interesting to hear the rationale behind the change of heart, but regardless, this Rangers squad could do with every talented player it has available and if Hagi can get back to his peak, he could yet be an important player for Clement going forward.
Image source, SNSCyriel Dessers insists "the best is yet to come" from Rangers ahead of their first Europa League tie at Ibrox on Thursday against Lyon.
Phillipe Clement's side started their campaign with a magnificent win against Malmo, but followed it up with a less than convincing performance against Hibs on Sunday in the Scottish Premiership.
But the 29-year-old striker is extremely optimistic about the future for Rangers after last Thursday's "beautiful night" in Sweden and is excited by what's to come.
"We're on a good way, we're growing, you can see that," Dessers said after the weekend win against Hibs.
"We got a few new players in and we're mixing it all together, but obviously, last Thursday was a beautiful night for us as a team.
"You’ve seen in the second half against a good team, you have to really stick together.
"It’s not like a team night out – but it was a team-building activity.
"Stick together, work together, fight together. You see how everybody fought for the team, and that makes me really happy, I'm really proud. That gives me confidence for the future as well.
"I think we had some really good performances before the Celtic game. Obviously, you want that one game to go different but also, you cannot let one result distract you.
"Like I said, we are growing. The best is yet to come for us and I think everybody can see that.
"We just have to stay focused on our own game and keep growing."
Ianis Hagi has returned to Rangers' first-team squad after the Romania midfielder struck an agreement to resolve the contract wrangle that led the 25-year-old to be frozen out for more than a year. (Scottish Sun), external
Ianis Hagi has agreed to forgo a clause where the Romania midfielder would be due a salary increase if he played one more game for Rangers after several senior players and board members put pressure on manager Philippe Clement to bring the 25-year-old back into the first-team squad. (Daily Record), external
Romania midfielder Ianis Hagi greeted the news that he is no longer training with Rangers' B team with an Instagram post of him working out with the first team and a caption saying simply: "Back!" (Football Scotland), external
Lyon have been rocked ahead of Thursday's Europa League meeting with Rangers after goalkeeper Anthony Lopes - their longest-serving player - lashed out at the club after he was dumped to the reserves and relegated to fourth-choice. (The Herald), external
Read Wednesday's Scottish Gossip in full here.
Image source, SNS
Image source, SNSDujon Sterling has signed a contract extension with Rangers, keeping him at Ibrox until May 2028.
The 24-year-old signed from Chelsea last year and impressed during his first season with the club, helping Philippe Clement's side to win the League Cup.
Sterling has made 46 appearances for Rangers to date, both in defence and midfield, and says he is determined to "do more" having signed his new deal.
"It is good to get it over the line, I am obviously proud," Sterling said.
"The club have rewarded me because they thought my performances were good last season and for me it is just about building on that this season. It gives me extra motivation that I want to do more, I have got the reward and now I want to repay the favour.
"It is a great place to work every day, with a good manager, teammates, staff and fans. It feels like a home and for me there was no reason to change that."
Jamie Currie
Fan writer
I was hoping for two positive results last week, and we certainly got that.
The 2-0 win over Malmo could have been five or six, and although the 1-0 win over Hibs was something of a grind, the most important thing is the result.
The two main talking points that arose from those matches was a lack of cutting edge and the visible defensive improvements. Jack Butland has been reaching somewhere near the levels of last season and the back four have been relatively solid since the defeat at Parkhead.
That's four clean sheets in five games and there seems to be a growing understanding between the two centre-backs John Souttar and Robin Propper.
As regards the lack of clinical finishing, Hamza Igamane is a young lad who will get better with more experience and game time, while Cyriel Dessers will definitely score goals but in the big moments he often flops. Then you need more from the likes of Vaclav Cerny, Ross McCausland, Rabbi Matondo and Oscar Cortes - when they are fit.
Tom Lawrence is playing well and Nedim Barjami has made a positive impact on the team. Still, we need a more reliable first-choice striker and a better variety of wide forwards in the January window.
Thursday will be a massive test to see how much the team has improved post-Celtic. Malmo was a great result but Lyon will be a different level. But as a fan these European nights at Ibrox are the ones you look forward to the most.
Former referee Dermot Gallagher insists Rangers manager Philippe Clement was wrong to claim Hibernian were unfairly awarded a penalty at Ibrox but insists it was the right decision not to red card John Souttar for the handball that led to the spot kick. (Sky Sports via Daily Record), external.
Five of Rangers' Scottish Premiership matches over the winter period have been selected for television coverage.
Kick-off at Pittodrie against Aberdeen on Wednesday, 30 October has been pushed back 15 minutes until 20:00, while their home game against Hearts on Sunday, 10 November has been declared as a 17:00 kick-off.
Phillipe Clement's side will kick-off December with back-to-back midday kick-off's away from home, firstly on Sunday, 1 December against St Johnstone then again one week later against Ross County.
Into the new year, and Rangers will travel to Dens Park on Thursday, 9 January 2025 to take on Dundee live on TV. The pair were meant to meet on Saturday, 2 November, but Clement's side will be in Premier Sports Cup action.
And due to their participation in the Europa League, Rangers will now host St Johnstone on Sunday, 12 January at 15:00, rather than the day before.
Image source, SNSKieran Dowell believes Rangers showed their resilience in Sunday's win against Hibernian, but must rediscover their killer instinct.
Tom Lawrence's first-half goal was all that could separate the sides, which led to late nervy moments which Dowell wants to rid off.
"The positive from Sunday is another clean sheet," the substitute said.
"They didn’t really have too many clinical chances, but what we need to do is to kill the game, get that second goal like we did in midweek, like we have in other games."
Dowell stressed the fatigue felt among the players after Thursday's magnificent win in Malmo which he believed was the side's "best performance of the season".
Obviously after a tough week, going to Europe, going to Malmo in the week, it was one of those you have to grind out in the end.
"There was a lot of tired legs," the midfielder added. "Credit to a lot of the lads, they had to put in a shift this week.
"Like I said, it was all about grinding out results and we did that in the end.
"I thought it was a brilliant performance from the lads away from home in midweek. That was probably our best performance of the season so far.
"It's building that consistency, but at the same time getting those results.
"And we’ve got a few lads who are going to have to play a lot of 90 minutes throughout the weeks, it’s like I said at the start, it’s grinding out those results as well sometimes."
Image source, SNSRangers might have been suffering from a European hangover according to Graham Dorrans, as they edged out a nervy victory over Hibs at Ibrox.
Philippe Clemenet's side put in one of their best performances in his tenure through the week against Malmo in the Europa League, but they struggled to break Hibs down on domestic duty.
"There wasn't much quality within the game, especially from a Rangers point of view," Dorrans said. "I was hoping to go to along to the game and see a more dominant performance and be more comfortable. We didn't see that.
"Hibs would probably feel a bit unlucky that they've not won the game, never mind got a point out of it.
"The one bit of quality in the game that we've seen was from Tom Lawrence. He picks the ball up in the wide area and cuts inside and finds a fantastic finish into the far post."
Rangers played in Sweden on Thursday night and Clement complained post-match about the lack of recovery time his players had, noting the early 12:00 BST kick-off on Sunday.
"Is it a little bit of a hangover from the European game midweek? Might well be," Dorrans added. "[Clement] made a couple of changes going into the game. That maybe affected the team a little bit.
"I'm a little bit disappointed with the performance. But it's all about getting three points and then moving on, which will be another big week for them getting into the European game again."
Graham Dorrans was speaking on the Scottish Football Podcast, which is available to listen to on BBC Sounds here.
Jane Lewis
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter
It was far from a vintage performance from Rangers as they edged past Hibernian 1-0 at Ibrox on Sunday.
In those tight games, you need your big players to produce big moments and that's what Tom Lawrence did, bending in a superb strike from outside the box into the top corner.
We asked for your views on Rangers' 1-0 win against Hibs.
Here's what some of you said:
Andrew: The squad rotation was good. Fans can't complain about injuries and not accept it when we rotate the squad significantly. Hamza Igamane will hopefully grow in confidence. Had Hibs not been so ridiculously defensive, he would have probably contributed more. Tom Lawrence's goal was superb and I thought Connor Barron was class again.
Ronnie: Back down to earth after a great display against Malmo. We were fortunate to take the three points. Igamane was almost invisible, Nicolas Raskin was poor, Vaclav Cerny was wasteful. Lesson learned for Philippe Clement - we are not good enough to make four changes and still perform to the same level. Three points very welcome, but it was a hard watch for Rangers fans.
John: Another poor performance. Clement needs to stop making so many changes and get a winning formula. He still doesn't know his best team. Nobody to score goals regularly.
Stu: Very poor middle to front. Nearly a year in and still hasn't changed the formation that is so easy to play against. What's happened to this big, bad, scary Phil?
Allan: Rangers again finding it difficult to break down a rigid defence and struggled with Hibs pressing in the second half. However, a clean sheet and a brilliant goal from Lawrence got the three points. For those who criticise the manager, he knows more about football, the players' physical and mental condition on the day and picks the team accordingly.
Calum: Hard watch. Hibs have improved under David Gray and Rangers need to get used to the Thursday-Sunday routine, whilst still producing football the fans want to see.
Lennie: Can't believe the performance from our team after Thursday's great performance. I was expecting to see us progress from it, instead I saw a team that was lacking any penetrating forward action, that was flat all over the park, and had no spark. I really sometimes don't understand our managers team selections.
Peter: On Thursday we were on a mighty high but Sunday was hangover day. Why do we make it difficult in these games? Hibs are so mediocre at times and we were giving them so much room. I know three points in the bag but with the performance on Thursday we should have blown them away easily.
Image source, SNSThomas Lawrence has scored three goals in the Premiership this season (one in this game), no Rangers player has more.
Hibernian have failed to score in three of their six games, no team has failed to do so more often in the Premiership this season.
Rangers have kept a clean sheet in four of their six games, only Celtic (six) have done this more often in the Premiership this season.
Watch highlights as Rangers win 1-0 against Hibs in the Scottish Premiership.
Only available to UK viewers.
Image source, Getty ImagesLyon and Malick Fofana picked up three points on Sunday
Malick Fofana's 95th-minute goal gave Rangers' next Europa League opponents Lyon a 2-1 win away to Toulouse in Ligue 1 on Sunday.
Yann Gboho had given the hosts a 1-0 lead but Rasmus Nicolaisen's own goal brought Pierre Sage's side level.
And Fofana struck in the fifth of 11 added minutes to secure Lyon's second league victory of the season. They sit 10th of 18 in the table after six games.
Lyon, who visit Ibrox on Thursday (20:00 BST), won their opening match of the league phase of the Europa League, 2-0 at home to Olympiakos.
Rangers beat Malmo 2-0 in Sweden on matchday one and will also play Olympiakos, in Greece in November.
Rangers manager Philippe Clement 'confused' by award of Hibs penalty
Manager Philippe Clement highlights Rangers' lack of recovery time and questions the award of a Hibernian penalty following his side's 1-0 home win in the Scottish Premiership.
Tom Lawrence struck Rangers' goal before team-mate Jack Butland saved Mykola Kuharevich's spot-kick, which was awarded for a handball against John Souttar.
