Steven Gerrard’s men are seeking to continue their winning July against opponents who have made a slow start to their summer
Rangers play host to Ligue 1 side Marseille on Sunday in a pre-season friendly, having made a positive start to their competitive 2019-20 campaign on Tuesday.
Steven Gerrard took his side to St Joseph’s in the Europa League and watched them power to a 4-0 success, rendering next week’s second leg a formality and allowing him the freedom to experiment fully against superior opposition in the form of OM.
Andre Villas-Boas’ side suffered a humiliating 2-1 defeat to Accrington Stanley on Thursday and will expect much better in this clash.
| Game | Rangers vs Marseille |
| Date | Sunday, July 14 |
| Time | 3:00pm BST / 10:00am ET |
TV Channel, Live Stream & How To Watch
In the United States (US), the game can be streamed via Rangers TV.
| US TV channel | Online stream |
|---|---|
| n/a | Rangers TV |
In the United Kingdom (UK), the game can be streamed via Rangers TV.
| UK TV channel | Online stream |
|---|---|
| n/a | Rangers TV |
Squads & Team News
| Position | Rangers squad |
|---|---|
| Goalkeepers | McGregor, Foderingham, Alnwick, Firth |
| Defenders | Goldson, Katic, Edmundson, Barisic, Katic, Tavernier, Polster |
| Midfielders | Halliday, Kamara, Arfield, Davis, Dorrans, Jack, Holt, Docherty, Aribo, Jones |
| Forwards | Murphy, Dodoo Hastie, Middleton, Ojo, Grezda, Candeias, Morelos, Defoe, Herrera, Stewart, Hardie |
Jamie Murphy and Jon Flanagan missed out in midweek for Rangers due to injury and won’t take part in this match. Scott Arfield has only recently returned from international duty, meanwhile.
| Position | Marseille squad |
|---|---|
| Goalkeepers | Mandanda, Pele, Dia |
| Defenders | Kamara, Caleta-Car, Perrin, Amavi, Rocchia, Sakai, Sarr, Mohamed |
| Midfielders | Luiz Gustavo, Sertic, Phliponeau, Sanson, Strootman, Payet, Khaoui, Chabrolle |
| Forwards | Radonjic, Ake, Thauvin, Germain, N’Jie |
Maxime Lopez has returned to France with a muscular injury and is poised to sit out. Steve Mandanda is also a doubt for the Provence side.
Adil Rami has not travelled to the UK as he faces disciplinary issues with the club.
Marseille announced this week that Mario Balotelli would leave the club at the end of his contract after a successful six months.
Match Preview
Rangers face their greatest challenge of the summer to date as they play host to Marseille in a friendly at Ibrox on Sunday.
Over 22,000 watched as they dismantled Oxford United 6-0 at home last weekend, then 48 hours later they went to St Joseph’s in a Europa League qualifier and recorded a 4-0 success against the Gibraltar side.
Manager Steven Gerrard was pleased with both the patience and the depth of his squad in midweek, having watched the team frustrated in the first half as they went in scoreless. Goals from Ryan Jack, Sheyi Ojo, Connor Goldson and Alfredo Morelos gave them a comfortable victory which means that the boss can toy with his side in the return leg.
“The reason we’ve gone into the transfer market quite sharp and quick is to add that quality and you see the level of player we’re bringing off the bench,” he said after the match, having left players such as Daniel Candeias, Graham Dorrans, Jason Holt and Kyle Lafferty out of his travelling party entirely.
Nevertheless, he still expects to see a significant improvement from his team over the coming month before the Scottish Premiership season begins again.
“We have got plenty to go and I think we are only 70 per cent or 80% in terms of being match fit and tuned in,” he explained.
Marseille will provide the opposition at the weekend, coming off the back of a disappointing campaign in Ligue 1 that saw them miss out on European football as they finished fifth.
It is a far cry from the side that won the 1992-93 European Cup, the route of which took them to Ibrox, where they drew 2-2 on a famous on the first ever Champions League night.
Now it is Andre Villas-Boas who leads them, and while it is fanciful to suggest that they will be able to rediscover such heights any time soon, the Marseille fans certainly expect a good deal more from their side.
A 2-1 loss to Accrington Stanley on Thursday, which followed a 1-0 win over Stoke’s Under-23 side previously has not been the most convincing way for his reign to start.
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