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Boss Steven Gerrard urges the Rangers to seize the moment in front of a crowd invaded by Ibrox
Last updated: 28/11/18 18:06
Steven Gerrard had not lost a European match as a Rangers coach before their 4-3 defeat at Spartak Moscow
Rangers boss Steven Gerrard believes his team should aim for the win against Villarreal and qualify for the Europa League playoff rounds.
If the Gers manages to get a result against Villarreal, he will head to his final match at Rapid Vienna with a chance to ensure a European action after Christmas for the first time since 2011.
But a defeat combined with Spartak's win at home against the Austrians would mean everything is over for the Light Blues.
"Everyone obviously knows that we can not afford to lose this game," said Gerrard. "But if we bring our game A and our maximum, I think we are certainly capable of winning.
"Come to the final whistle, it's crucial not to lose, the draw will take him down the line – but we'll win him."
Kyle Lafferty of the Rangers celebrates his goal against Villarreal in September
Gerrard will remind his players that they should not fear Villarreal, especially after the 2-2 draw in September.
He added: "This result certainly gave us confidence and conviction.I thought we had finished as a stronger team.
"And I feel that the players are ready this time – it's the stage where we want to be and that's the kind of opposition we want to test.
"Villarreal is the favorite, he has experience in the Champions League and a huge budget, individual players worth nearly 20 million pounds – but it's a good test for us."
0:35 Steven Gerrard said the Rangers had been underestimated by rivals in the Europa League early in the group stage
News from the team
Thursday's match will be too early for Borna Barisic despite the return of the left-back to the full training. A calf injury has prevented the Croatian international from returning in the last two months and his boss, Steven Gerrard, does not want to take any chances.
Ryan Kent (hamstring) is also out but will join his teammates next week while Lee Wallace and Jordan Rossiter are not part of the Gers European team. Long-term victims Graham Dorrans and Jamie Murphy (both knees) remain on the sidelines.
Meanwhile, Villarreal will be without the services of Carlos Bacca, who was on the match sheet when the teams met in September.
0:55 Andy Walker, a Sky Sports expert, believes the December 29 match against Old Firm will be key to the Rangers' hopes of challenging Celtic.
Opta Stats
This will be the fourth European meeting between the Rangers and Villarreal, each of the last three ending in a draw.
The Rangers have no home win against their Spanish opponents in each of their last six meetings (D4 L2), their last win – Osasuna in September 1985.
Villarreal did not win during his three visits to Scotland in European competition (D2 L1), sinking 2-0 against Celtic in December 2008 during his most recent trip.
The Rangers lost 4-3 against Spartak Moscow in MD4. The Scottish team has not lost consecutive UEFA Cup / Europa League matches since December 2004.
Villarreal striker Carlos Bacca scored after just 44 seconds in the previous UEFA Europa League game against the Rangers on the MD1 score – the fastest goal of the competition in 2018-19.
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