Rangers vs PSV

Ibrox Stadium forms the backdrop for Rangers’ mouth-watering UEFA Champions League playoff tie against Dutch heavyweights PSV Eindhoven.

Despite trailing Belgian side Royale Union SG 2-0 in the first leg, Rangers performed another phenomenal Ibrox comeback as they pulled off a 3-0 second-leg triumph in Glasgow to set up this tie. Despite suffering last season’s Europa League heartbreak, the ‘Gers’ have looked unfazed in the early stage of 2022/23, racking up four triumphs from five competitive outings (L1), including three on the trot in the build-up to this fixture. A fever-pitch atmosphere should inspire Rangers’ bid to overcome their indifferent three-game home European record against PSV (W1, D1, D1) and bolster their chances of reaching the Champions League group stages for the first time since 2010/11. Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s men carry a three-game winning home streak into this showdown, noticeably netting nine unanswered goals in that sequence.

On the other hand, PSV Eindhoven’s start to the new competitive season has been nothing short of outstanding as new boss Ruud van Nistelrooy aims to guide them back to the Champions League group stages for the first time since 2018/19. In addition to coming from behind to thrash arch-rivals Ajax 5-3 in the Dutch Super Cup earlier in July, the ‘Peasants’ survived the second-qualifying round drama against Monaco, fighting back to secure a 4-3 aggregate victory. What’s more, you’d have to go back to December 2021 for PSV’s last competitive defeat on the road, with the Dutch powerhouse going unbeaten in all four European travels in 2022 (W1, D3).