CL Match preview: Stuttgart v Rangers

Time to shrug off the disappointing weekend and focus on the big time. After a favorable draw this is where it all begins. It’s a very realistic possibility that Stuttgart can move into the knockout stages this time around after a disappointing campaign a few years back. First up are the boys from Glasgow. Picking up 3 points at home cannot be stressed enough to start off strong.

Some things to look out for:

-Hleb picked up a knock during the Hamburg game and is having muscle tightness issues that could leave him out of the Rangers clash. According to VfB’s official site he’s in serious doubt for tomorrow, though injury reports/speculation can sometimes be misleading.
-Magnin tore a muscle in his thigh during practice on Monday and it looks like he’ll be out for a couple of weeks.

Here’s my predicted XI for the match given the injuries and everything else:

Lehmann
Träsch Tasci Delpierre Boka
Gebhart Khedira Hitzlsperger Kuzmanovic
Pogrebnyak Cacau

I’d like to see VfB control the tempo of this game from the onset; to make a statement at home and to mark their intent early in the group. There’s no reason they shouldn’t be able to dispatch of a Rangers side rife with financial woes and with little in the way of international talent and praise. Pedro Mendes will however be one to look out for on their side. I’m especially keen to see Pogrebnyak do well, who was co-top scorer in the UEFA cup in 2007-2008 and has shown an ability to step up in European competition.

Traditionally, Rangers don’t play well away from home in Euro competition and I’m hoping that there will be some semblance of familiarity and confidence having faced them 2 years prior even though the squad has changed a bit. Make no mistake, Rangers are the underdog in this match.

Prediction: Stuttgart 2 Rangers 1

Category: UEFA-Cup, match preview

Tags: CL preview, Hleb, Magnin, match preview, Rangers, UEFA-Cup

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