Brann vs Rangers

The Danny Röhl era begins on Thursday night with a trip to Bergen to face Norwegian runners-up SK Brann. Coming off the back of a deflating draw with Dundee United and two dismal defeats in the Europa League group phase, Rangers fans are hoping the German can bring back the Rangers Thursdays we had become accustomed to in recent years.

Brann come into Thursday’s fixture in reasonable domestic form, sitting in third place having won four of their last five games in the Eliteserien. On the continental front, they have a 1-0 win over Utrecht as well as a 2-0 defeat to Hamza Igamane’s Lille, leaving them 17th at this early stage in the European campaign.

Under manager Freyr Alexanderssson, Brann play an attacking, possession-based game in a 4-3-3 formation. Thankfully for Rangers, star midfielder Myhre will miss the game through an ankle injury. The Norwegians’ main attacking threat will come from Eggert Gudmundsson, with the Iceland international having five goals and five assists so far this season.

Rangers’ main attacking threat, Djeidi Gassama, will be delighted to reunite with Röhl, having described the German as ‘like a father to him’. While we expect to see a change in style of play, it’s likely that Rangers will line up again in a 4-3-3 formation with Gassama and Antman on either wing, with Miovski or Chermiti completing the front three in the centre. The back four will almost certainly remain the same as well. A slight change in the midfield could be anticipated, with a move to a double pivot - likely Raskin and Rothwell or Barron - and a more advanced number 10 - likely Aasgaard - supporting the front men.

Rangers’ last trip across the North Sea to Norway was 19 years ago, facing Molde in a UEFA Cup 1st round fixture in 2006. The first leg was a 0-0 draw in Norway, with Rangers advancing with a 2-0 win in the return leg in Glasgow. With a total of 0 points on the board after two games in the Europa League league phase, getting points on the board is an absolute necessity.