Rangers vs Ajax

Ibrox Stadium is the venue as Rangers and Ajax go head-to-head in a bottom-half Champions League Group A six-pointer.

Rangers’ first foray into the Champions League group stages in more than a decade has been an utter disaster, with Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s men losing all five Group A matches via an aggregate score of 19-1. It all started with a 5-0 demolition in Amsterdam on day one, which marked Rangers’ fifth European defeat to Ajax in as many encounters. Extending that run would see the ‘Gers’ meet an unwanted piece of history and become the first-ever Scottish side to lose six times within a single Champions League season. Additionally, with 19 goals conceded, they are only five shy of equalling a negative record for most goals shipped in the Champions League group stages (24)! But in theory, Rangers could still switch to the Europa League knockouts should they beat Ajax by a 5+ goal margin.

On the other hand, Ajax’s stellar home triumph over Rangers on matchday one looks like a distant history at this point, with Alfred Schreuder’s side losing four Champions League matches on the trot since to bow out of the competition’s groups for the third time in four years. Another disappointment in Glasgow would see the ‘Lancers’ lose five successive Champions League games for the first time since 2004, yet their away form cannot inspire much confidence. The reigning Eredivisie champions have lost on three of their last five competitive travels (W2), including two in the Champions League by an aggregate score of 6-3. High scoring has been a common theme during that five-game sequence, with each fixture featuring over 2.5 goals and both teams scoring.