Congratulations to Rangers … and to Spurs and Chelsea, the other stars of this MBM! Remember them, after all that Ibrox drama? Sure you do. Thanks for reading this report. Nighty night.
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James Tavernier speaks to TNT. “We did it the hard way … but we got to the next round … the special nights in European football that you can’t replace … we didn’t actually practice penalties this week!”
Jack Butland, exhausted but jubilant, adds: “When this club is going like this, we are something special … I wanted to put something on for the fans, to get it done … you can’t top it … we fully believed we would get the job done … the boys dug deep and this is the reward you get … we deserve this!”
Ibrox en fête! The Light Blues celebrate in the wild style. Having lost their first-leg lead, how well they did to dig in during the final stages of normal time, then extra time, to force penalty kicks. Barry Ferguson races across the pitch to join in the fun; Jose Mourinho, drained, throws consoling arms around a few of his men. They’ll travel to the Basque Country for a quarter-final showdown with Athletic Bilbao!
PENALTIES: Rangers 3-2 Fenerbahçe; Rangers into the quarter-finals!
Wow! Rangers don’t half enjoy this competition!
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PENALTIES: Rangers 3-2 Fenerbahçe. Yandaş has to score now. Bedlam in Ibrox. Yandaş crumbles, hoicking wildly over the bar, and Rangers are through! Bedlam in Ibrox now all right!
PENALTIES: Rangers 3-2 Fenerbahçe. Lawrence hammers home that advantage by battering an unstoppable one down the middle!
PENALTIES: Rangers 2-2 Fenerbahçe. Fred shuffles on his run-up and aims for the bottom left. Butland reads correctly and sticks up a strong hand. Advantage Rangers again!
PENALTIES: Rangers 2-2 Fenerbahçe. Barry Ferguson can’t look as Hagi makes his way upfield. Eğribayat takes his time over a swig of water. Hagi aims for the bottom right, but it’s not tucked into the corner, and the keeper turns the ball onto the bottom of the post and away. Level after three kicks apiece!
PENALTIES: Rangers 2-2 Fenerbahçe. Djiku, who scored in the first leg, scores his penalty here. Bottom right, having sent Butland the wrong way. Calm as you like.
PENALTIES: Rangers 2-1 Fenerbahçe. Černý takes a long run up and batters hard and handsome down the middle. The keeper no chance!
PENALTIES: Rangers 1-1 Fenerbahçe. Džeko marks his 151st European appearance by whistling his pen into the left-hand side of the goal. Butland guessed correctly, but it was a futile effort.
PENALTIES: Rangers 1-0 Fenerbahçe. Tavernier grimaces before taking his kick. Then blows hard. Then whips into the bottom left. Eğribayat went the right way, but it was too powerful, too precise.
PENALTIES: Rangers 0-0 Fenerbahçe. Tadić up first. Butland takes his sweet time to get into position. Tadić whacks straight down the middle … and Butland, despite diving, kicks clear!
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The pens will be taken in front of the Rangers fans, the Copland Road end, far away from the away supporters. Fenerbahçe to take the first kick.
Pre-penalty postbag. “At least Rangers will have a full, eh, two days to recover physically and mentally before their next game at, eh, Celtic Park on Sunday, while their bitter rivals have had a free week and are 16 points clear at the top. I’m sure that will be of some comfort to Barry Ferguson, whatever happens tonight” – Simon McMahon
EXTRA TIME, FULL TIME: Rangers 0-2 Fenerbahçe (agg 3-3)
Penalties it is, then! No double-hitting, lads, please. Not again.
ET 30 min +2: Fenerbahçe get the ball forward in pursuit of a dramatic winner. Souttar clears twice in short order. Then Kostić drives into the box from the left and goes over. Tavernier slides in from behind to win the ball, and though Fener are collectively livid again, it’s the correct decision to deny their request.
ET 30 min: There will be three additional minutes. Some bampot in the stand flings an object at Eğribayat. Thankfully it doesn’t hit the keeper, but dearie me.
ET 29 min: Turns out it wasn’t Yandas who was booked, but his mate Kahveci for his part in the post-penalty-claim brouhaha.
ET 28 min: Kahveci crosses deep from the left. Tadic volleys goalwards from the right-hand corner of the six-yard box. Butland parries well, then the flag goes up for offside.
ET 27 min: Fener claim a penalty kick, Yandaş going over in the environs of Raskin. There’s no contact. Yandaş is insistent, though. He goes into the book, and so does his manager for taking the argument too far.
ET 26 min: Yilmaz is booked for saying his piece about a garden-variety foul in the midfield.
ET 24 min: Akçiçek is allowed to advance a long way down the inside-left channel, past a couple of tired challenges. Akçiçek reaches the edge of the box but he’s knackered too, and dribbles a weak shot towards the bottom left. Butland claims.
ET 23 min: Černý tries to feed Igamane down the right, but the latter puts the brakes on. Igamane has been poor.
ET 22 min: Now it’s Eğribayat’s turn for a muscle rub, as he goes over with cramp. He’s back up again soon enough.
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ET 21 min: Incidentally, Rangers nearly made a sub themselves during the extra-time break. It looked like Danilo was coming on for a knackered-looking Černý, but the latter made his feeling known after a quick muscle rub, and Barry Ferguson changed his mind. Danilo went back into the dugout and made some feelings of his own crystal clear, battering the walls of the dugout with angry fists.
ET 19 min: Tavernier curls the free kick viciously towards the left-hand side of goal. It’s heading in, but Eğribayat claws it out. Fine play all round.
ET 18 min: Hagi nearly successfully spins Djiku down the inside-left. Just before he enters the box, he’s clipped, and it’s a booking for the defender and a free kick to Rangers. Tavernier’s eyes light up.
ET 17 min: Kostić crosses low and hard from the left. Souttar does well to block with opponents hovering, and the ball pings off one of them for a goal kick.
The second half of extra time starts. Fenerbahçe get the ball rolling, having replaced their two-goal hero Sebastian Szymański and … hmm, I’ll get back to you … with İrfan Can Kahveci and Mert Hakan Yandaş.
EXTRA TIME, HALF TIME: Rangers 0-2 Fenerbahçe (agg 3-3)
Just enough time left for Kostic to reach the byline on the left. He pulls back for En-Nesyri, who prepares to slam home from eight yards, only for Lawrence to nick the ball off his toe. The whistle goes, and the tension mounts.
ET 15 min: There will be one additional minute to this first period of extra time.
ET 13 min: Černý jinks inbetween Kostic and Dzeko down the inside-right channel, but doesn’t get any oomph in his shot. Easy for Eğribayat.
ET 12 min: If Rangers are going to find a goal to settle this tie, Černý will be the man. He slides in from the left and finds Igamane on the edge of the D. Igamane’s heavy touch puts paid to the move.
ET 10 min: Here’s why Igamane should have passed to Černý moments earlier: Černý cuts in from the right and pearl-curls a shot towards the top left. Eğribayat is forced into a full-stretch tip over the bar. Nothing comes of the resulting corner.
ET 9 min: Should Fener make it through, the possibility of a Manchester United v Jose Mourinho semi-final is very much a live one. Imagine the press conferences before that.
ET 7 min: Raskin steals the ball in midfield and feeds Igamane, who blooters a shot into the nearest defender instead of feeding the in-form Černý, free to his right. Witless.
ET 5 min: Barron is down and can’t continue. Lawrence comes on in his place.
ET 4 min: The away end making the majority of the noise right now. The wind in their team’s sail.
ET 2 min: Amrabat nearly has his pocket picked by Bajrami under a long ball, but keeps calm to spin away from danger.
EXTRA TIME: Rangers 0-2 Fenerbahçe (agg 3-3)
OK, back at Ibrox, Rangers get the first period of extra-time underway. Jose looks happier than Barry.
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Here are the late Europa League results …
Manchester United 4-1 Real Sociedad (agg 5-2)
Lyon 4-0 FCSB (agg 7-1)
Rangers 0-2 Fenerbahçe (agg 3-3)
Spurs 3-1 AZ (agg 3-2)
… all of which means we’re going to extra time in Glasgow, with the quarter-final line-up currently looking like this …
Spurs v Eintracht Frankfurt
Bodo/Glimt v Lazio
Rangers or Fenerbahçe v Athletic Bilbao
Lyon v Manchester United
FULL TIME: Rangers 0-2 Fenerbahçe (agg 3-3)
We’re going to extra time at Ibrox!
FULL TIME: Chelsea 1-0 Copenhagen (agg 3-1)
Chelsea make it to the quarters of the Conference League. No fuss, not a whole lot of quality either. Nice goal by Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, mind.
FULL TIME: Spurs 3-1 AZ (agg 3-2)
… but Parrott can’t get on the end of it, and the whistle goes! Spurs make it through to the quarter-finals!
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90 min +4: Spurs 3-1 AZ (agg 3-2). Gray brings down Belic, out on the left. One last opportunity for the visitors to force extra time. Up comes the keeper to contest the free kick …
90 min +2: Rangers 0-2 Fenerbahçe (agg 3-3). The ball at Szymański’s feet, ten yards out on the right. He slashes his shot into the side netting. Had it gone in, VAR would have had something to say about it, because earlier in the move Kostic had retrieved a ball that was a few feet over the byline.
90 min: Spurs 3-1 AZ (agg 3-2). Poku drives down the right and dinks long. Smit meets the dropping ball at the far stick, but can only sidefoot into the side netting. The AZ fans thought that was in. There will be four additional minutes for Spurs to survive.
89 min: Rangers 0-2 Fenerbahçe (agg 3-3). Černý drifts in from the right and curls towards the top left. Always high, always wide.
88 min: Spurs 3-1 AZ (agg 3-2). Penetra floats a cross from the right into a packed Spurs box. Vicario bravely comes to the edge of his area to collect. The nerves palpable.
87 min: Rangers 0-2 Fenerbahçe (agg 3-3). Some cute play from Rangers ends with Bajrami slipping a pass down the inside-right channel for Tavernier, whose low cross only just evades Hagi in the middle, six yards out. If only Hagi hadn’t cut his toenails last night.
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86 min: Spurs 3-1 AZ (agg 3-2). All a bit scrappy. All very tense.
84 min: Rangers 0-2 Fenerbahçe (agg 3-3). Tadic glides in from the left and aims a curler towards the top right. Not far away. Černý goes up the other end, down the right, and crosses, the ball slapping a nearby hand. Penalty? Nope, says the referee. Then another phase of attack ends with Bajrami lashing a wild shot into the top-right corner of the stand. Both sides looking for the decisive goal that would stop this tie going to extra time.
82 min: Spurs 3-1 AZ (agg 3-2). A cross comes into the Spurs box from the right. Parrott prepares to hammer a header home from six yards … only for his team-mate Meerdink to pop up ahead of him and eyebrow hopelessly over the bar! The Spurs goal living a charmed life now.
80 min: Spurs 3-1 AZ (agg 3-2). So nearly another for AZ! Parrott, just to the right of the D, creams a shot towards the bottom left that Vicario parries. The ball sits up for de Wit, who slams goalwards from a welcoming angle on the left … but Bissouma sticks out a leg to divert out for a corner. Vicario had it covered too. Nothing comes of the set piece. Wow.
76 min: Rangers 0-2 Fenerbahçe (agg 3-3). Rangers are on the rack now. Dzeko nearly gets to a right-wing cross but Balogun hooks clear. Then Tadic sashays infield from the right and creams a low curler that only just whistles wide of the left-hand post.
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GOAL! Spurs 3-1 AZ (Odobert 74); agg 3-2
This is a glorious goal! Son sends Spence into the box on the overlap. He crosses low. Solanke back-flicks across the face of goal to Odobert, who can’t miss from six yards. Into the bottom right it flies, and Spurs are ahead again!
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GOAL! Rangers 0-2 Fenerbahçe (Szymanski 73); agg 3-3
Kostić works hard down the right. He reaches the byline and pings back for Szymanski, who scores his second by prodding through Tavernier’s legs and in. The tie level, and just when Rangers were enjoying their best spell of the second half.
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71 min: Rangers 0-1 Fenerbahçe (agg 3-2). Tavernier again, this time meeting Černý’s cutback and larruping a long-distance dipper inches over the bar. Much better from Rangers.
70 min: Rangers 0-1 Fenerbahçe (agg 3-2). Tavernier jigs down the right and reaches the byline, before cutting back for Černý, who can’t get a first-time snapshot on target. Then another wave of home attack, Igamane speculating from 25 yards, Eğribayat forced to shovel a ball heading for the bottom right around the post for a corner. Nothing comes of the set piece.
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68 min: Spurs 2-1 AZ (agg 2-2). Maddison nips in from the left and looks for the top right. The shot’s not too far off target. AZ go up the other end, Smit bustling down the middle and getting a shot away that Romero blocks. Spurs and their supporters suffering Ibroxesque anxiety.
66 min: Rangers 0-1 Fenerbahçe (agg 3-2). Another of those dangerous Kostić crosses from the left. Talisca rises highest at the far stick and sends a header inches wide. The visitors on top at Ibrox, with the hosts and their supporters suffering nail-bothering anxiety.
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65 min: Spurs 2-1 AZ (agg 2-2). What a mess between Bergvall and Odobert. What wonderful opportunism from Koopmeiners. AZ were beginning to look like a beaten docket, but now look. That was their first on-target effort all evening.
GOAL! Spurs 2-1 AZ (Koopmeiners 63); agg 2-2
Son jinks his way into the AZ box down the left. He bounces off a couple of challenges but can’t get a shot away. AZ counter. Spurs look to have control on the edge of their own box, but Bergvall and Odobert leave the ball to each other on the edge of the D, allowing Koopmeiners to nip in. Koopmeiners lashes an unstoppable low drive across Vicario and into the bottom left. Game back on!
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61 min: Chelsea 1-0 Copenhagen (agg 3-1). Chelsea, so quiet for so long, are now pressing to put this tie to bed once and for all. Pedro Neto flashes a shot towards the bottom right. Ramaj makes a meal of saving, but smothers at the second attempt.
59 min: Rangers 0-1 Fenerbahçe (agg 3-2). Kostić’s shot flicks off Yilmaz’s hand. A huge shout for a penalty, but neither referee nor VAR show any interest. Safe to say Mourinho isn’t of the exact same opinion.
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58 min: Spurs 2-0 AZ (agg 2-1). … so having said that, Poku tears down the inside-right channel at warp speed. Van de Ven needs every drop of his famous pace to keep up. He does enough to win possession, but AZ come back quickly at Spurs through Poku again. He wins a corner, from which Clasie whistles a low drive inches wide of the left-hand post. A couple of big reminders, in short order, that this tie is far from over.
56 min: Spurs 2-0 AZ (agg 2-1). Spurs in quiet, confident control in N17. AZ have gone quiet since that second goal.
GOAL! Chelsea 1-0 Copenhagen (Dewsbury-Hall 54); agg 3-1
Chelsea had been huffing and puffing. But suddenly Dewsbury-Hall picks up the ball on the edge of the D, dribbles his way down the inside-left channel, through three challenges and into the box, and threads a shot across Ramaj and into the bottom right. It’s surely enough for the Conference League favourites.
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52 min: Spurs 2-0 AZ (agg 2-1). Son combines cutely with Sarr down the inside-left channel and reaches the byline. He could shoot, he could tee up a couple of team-mates in the middle. He inexplicably runs the ball out for a goal kick.
50 min: Spurs 2-0 AZ (agg 2-1). The Spurs tails are up now. Bergvall with some neat juggling in the centre circle before launching a counter. The attack comes to nowt, but what a player Bergvall promises to be.
GOAL! Spurs 2-0 AZ (Maddison 48); agg 2-1
… so after all that, Porro steals possession in the midfield and sends Son away down the left. Son rolls across to Maddison, who takes a touch to set himself before bending a shot around the man in front of him and into the top right! Gorgeous finish, and that’s after a bright start to the second period by the visitors!
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47 min: Spurs 1-0 AZ (agg 1-1). … and now Møller Wolfe nearly closes down Vicario with a savage press. The keeper gets out of jail with a lovely pirouette.
46 min: Spurs 1-0 AZ (agg 1-1). AZ betray their intentions by piling forward to a man from the second-half get-go. Nothing comes of their first attack, but there’s their ambition laid bare.
And we’re off! Off! Off! Again, again, again. Cole Palmer on for below-par Chelsea at the Bridge.
Half-time entertainment. On the subject of Manchester United, here’s some glorious/preposterous corporate whimsy courtesy of Big Sir Big Jim’s Comedy Company Compass®™®. Allow Max Rushden to explain.
A reminder – not that you’re likely to forget – that there’s one more big European tie involving a British side tonight. It’s all square at Old Trafford, 1-1 with the sides trading early penalties. Daniel Harris lays it all out for you.
HALF TIME: Spurs 1-0 AZ (agg 1-1)
Maddison tries to double Tottenham’s advantage this evening and give his side the overall lead in the tie with a free kick just outside the box … but in aiming for the top-right corner of the goal, he only manages to find the top-right corner of the stand. And that’s that for the first half. Spurs have completed their first task at least.
HALF TIME: Rangers 0-1 Fenerbahçe (agg 3-2)
How the mood has quickly changed at Ibrox.
45 min +1: Rangers 0-1 Fenerbahçe (agg 3-2). Diomande is booked for a nothing challenge on Muldur, and he’ll miss the first leg of the quarter-final too … though that’s properly in the balance now.
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GOAL! Rangers 0-1 Fenerbahçe (Szymański 45); agg 3-2
Kostić loops a cross in from the left. A slight deflection off Sterling. Szymański grabs the opportunity with both hands, swivelling and meeting the ball dropping over his shoulder, hooking an unstoppable shot across Butland and into the top right! Game on now.
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43 min: Spurs 1-0 AZ (agg 1-1). Buurmeester threads a speculative shot inches wide of the left-hand post.
40 min: Rangers 0-0 Fenerbahçe (agg 3-1). Warm applause of remembrance from every corner of Ibrox to honour Christopher Potter, the Rangers fan who tragically passed in Istanbul last week.
41 min: Chelsea 0-0 Copenhagen (agg 2-1). The visitors continue to look more likely. They’re doing the majority of the probing. Elyounoussi with a fine dribble down the right that nearly opens the hosts up.
39 min: Rangers 0-0 Fenerbahçe (agg 3-1). En-Nesyri, running down the inside-right channel, lets a long ball drop over his shoulder before slicing a volley horribly wide left. Robbie Fowler used to make that sort of thing look far easier than it actually is. Then the visitors come again, Talisca romping down the middle. Souttar skittles him from behind and goes into the book; he’ll miss the first leg of the quarters should Rangers make it. Nothing comes of the resulting free kick.
37 min: Spurs 1-0 AZ (agg 1-1). Son runs powerfully down the left but can’t get a shot away. He lays off to Bergvall, who aims a curler towards the top-right corner. Always high, always wide.
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35 min: Spurs 1-0 AZ (agg 1-1). … but the delivery is no good, and Solanke takes an accidental shoe in the throat anyway, so the whistle goes, as does the pressure.
35 min: Spurs 1-0 AZ (agg 1-1). Maddison clumsily – and needlessly – clips Sadiq, who was going nowhere down the right. A free kick in a dangerous position. Clasie to curl it in.
33 min: Rangers 0-0 Fenerbahçe (agg 3-1). Černý once again causing mayhem down the right. He cuts back from the byline. Kostić toes the ball towards his keeper, assuming he’ll blooter clear … but Eğribayat lets the ball run under his boot, and nearly over the line! He gets back just in time to hammer clear. Rangers inches away from taking the lead in farcical circumstances.
31 min: Spurs 1-0 AZ (agg 1-1). Spence causes AZ more bother down the left. He enters the box before stumbling, and claims a penalty he’s never getting.
30 min: Rangers 0-0 Fenerbahçe (agg 3-1). Černý looks really lively. A turn and a run down the right flank. He enters the box but can’t get a proper shot away. Then another probe along the same wing. He feeds Barron, who squirts a weak shot goalwards that’s never troubling Eğribayat.
28 min: Spurs 1-0 AZ (agg 1-1). Now that’s got the home crowd singing.
GOAL! Spurs 1-0 AZ (Odobert 26); agg 1-1
Son charges down Goes, in AZ’s right-back position, and the ball pings infield to Solanke. He cuts into the box from the left before rolling across expertly to Odobert, all alone in the middle. He can’t miss. He roofs into the top right, and the tie is level!
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25 min: Spurs 0-0 AZ (agg 0-1). Koopmeiners floats the free kick to the far stick. Sarr is forced to eyebrow behind for a corner … but that’s not awarded to AZ, and the home side get away with one. And it’s big, because Spurs go up the other end and …
24 min: Spurs 0-0 AZ (agg 0-1). Maddison drops deep to quarterback, but can only find Sarr in the centre circle. Sarr is swarmed, and AZ counter. Poku advances down the left and draws a clumsy shove from Romero. A free kick in a dangerous position coming up.
22 min: Spurs 0-0 AZ (agg 0-1). Son curls deliciously in from the left flank. Lilywhite shirts are lurking, but Owusu-Oduro does exceptionally well to race off his line and punch clear with confidence. Tottenham’s best work has been down this left side.
21 min: Chelsea 0-0 Copenhagen (agg 2-1). The visitors are on top, for what that’s worth. It’s not a great game so far.
19 min: Rangers 0-0 Fenerbahçe (agg 3-1). Talisca is clipped on the edge of the Rangers box by Jefté, only to be preposterously booked for simulation. One of Jose’s staff then goes into the book too, for observations made in blunt fashion. Rangers get away with one there.
16 min: Spurs 0-0 AZ (agg 0-1). Spence makes a nuisance of himself down the left and wins a corner. Before it can be taken, Van de Ven shoves Maikuma in the chest, and to the floor. Chancing his arm there. Just a talking-to from the ref. Nothing comes from the set piece when it’s finally taken.
16 min: Spurs 0-0 AZ (agg 0-1). A chance for Møller Wolfe to romp into acres of space down the left. Romero isn’t having that, and comes across with a crunching challenge. He needed to make that. Wonderful defending.
14 min: Spurs 0-0 AZ (agg 0-1). Spurs have enjoyed nearly 70 percent of possession so far. Owusu-Oduro yet to be put to work in the AZ goal.
13 min: Rangers 0-0 Fenerbahçe (agg 3-1). Černý cuts in from the right and takes a whack. Straight at the keeper. Rangers very much in this now after a tentative start.
11 min: Rangers 0-0 Fenerbahçe (agg 3-1). A wedge down the left flank to release Jefté into the box. Jefté cuts back for Černý, who shanks harmlessly wide right from 12 yards. A good chance, though VAR would have taken a look at offside had it gone in.
11 min: Spurs 0-0 AZ (agg 0-1). Maddison worms his way down the left and sends a dangerous in-swinger into the mixer. With Solanke lurking, Penetra does well to hook clear when facing his own goal.
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9 min: Spurs 0-0 AZ (agg 0-1). Ange Postecoglou wanted some positive early action to get the crowd going. He’s not got his wish.
7 min: Spurs 0-0 AZ (agg 0-1). It’s been a slow start by Tottenham. Son attempts to inject some pace with a drive down the left but runs slap-bang into the first defender. AZ will be happy enough with this.
5 min: Rangers 0-0 Fenerbahçe (agg 3-1). … so having said that, it’s Rangers who win the first corner of the evening. Diomande’s promptings down the left causing concern in the away defence. Tavernier takes, but it’s easy for Eğribayat in the Fener goal.
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3 min: Rangers 0-0 Fenerbahçe (agg 3-1). It’s all Jose’s lads during the early exchanges at Ibrox. Pretty much as Barry Ferguson expected, as per his pre-match pow-wow with Super Ally.
1 min: Spurs 0-0 AZ (agg 0-1). Spurs get the ball rolling and play a bit of keepball. Spence attempts to release Son down the left but overcooks the pass and it flies out for a goal kick. The first groans of the evening.
And we’re off! Off! Off!
N17, G51 and SW6 assemble! Yes, the teams are out in north London, south-west Glasgow and west London. Spurs in white, AZ red, Rangers light blue, Fenerbahce white, Chelsea royal blue, and Copenhagen white. We’ll be all over the place off in a minute or three!
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Here are the early Europa League results …
Athletic Club 3-1 Roma (agg: 4-3)
Eintracht Frankfurt 4-1 Ajax (agg: 6-2)
Lazio 1-1 Viktoria Plzen (agg: 3-2)
Olympiakos 2-1 Bodo/Glimt (agg: 2-4)
… so should Spurs get through tonight, they’ll face 2022 winners Eintracht Frankfurt in the quarters. If they get through that, they’ll take on either Lazio or Bodo/Glimt in the semis. Rangers meanwhile will play Athletic Bilbao in the quarters if they make it tonight. A repeat of the 2022 final between the Light Blues and Eintracht is still on!
Chelsea make five changes to the team that started in Denmark last week. Filip Jørgensen replaces Robert Sánchez in goal, while Pedro Neto, Enzo Fernández, Jadon Sancho and Joshua Acheampong also step up. Sánchez drops to the bench, as do Shumaira Mheuka, Cole Palmer and Reece James, the latter pair having been ill all week. Malo Gusto misses out altogether through injury.
Copenhagen make two changes from that game. Mohamed Elyounoussi, once of Southampton, and Rodrigo Huecas come in, while Giorgi Gocholeishvili and Amin Chiakha are benched.
Chelsea v Copenhagen teams
Chelsea: Jorgensen, Chalobah, Adarabioyo, Badiashile, Acheampong, Caicedo, Fernandez, George, Sancho, Dewsbury-Hall, Pedro Neto.
Subs: Sanchez, Bergstrom, Cucurella, Colwill, Nkunku, Palmer, James, Amougou, Murray-Campbell, Antwi, Mheuka, Walsh.
Copenhagen: Ramaj, Huescas, Gabriel Pereira, Diks, Hatzidiakos, Meling, Elyounoussi, Clem, Froholdt, Achouri, Claesson.
Subs: Trott, Runarsson, Garananga, Mattsson, Larsson, Lerager, Robert, Chiakha, Gocholeishvili, Delaney, Jensen.
Referee: Radu Petrescu (Romania).
Rangers make two changes to the XI Barry Ferguson sent out last week. Leon Balogun and Dujon Sterling are in, with Ridvan Yilmaz and Robin Propper – who took a knock upside the head in Turkey – dropping to the bench.
Fenerbahçe make three changes from the first leg. Fred, formerly of Manchester United, returns from suspension, while Bright Osayi-Samuel, once of QPR, and Anderson Talisca also step up. Edin Dzeko and Dusan Tadic, one-time stars of Manchester City and Southampton, drop to the bench, while erstwhile Leicester defender Caglar Soyuncu misses out altogether.
Rangers interim boss Barry Ferguson is interviewed on TNT by former Rangers boss Ally McCoist. “Looking forward to it … we’ve had a good week of preparation … we’re just desperate for the game to start … the boys stuck to [their new three-at-the-back shape in the first leg] really well … you might see similar or something different tonight … they’ll still put balls into the box … that’s where I need my defenders defending … I like them playing football but first things first, you’ve got to header the ball … I’ve got everybody fit … I want competition for places … it’s time for Dujon [Sterling] to show me he should be in the starting XI … we know it’s going to be tough … they’re going to come for us … we’re under no illusions … European nights here are magical and we need to light the fire to get the fans behind us.”
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Ange Postecoglou speaks to TNT Sports. “It’s good to get Romero and Micky back, our centre-back pairing … we looked after Madders at the weekend … it’s important … they’re experienced guys … there for the big occasion and tonight’s certainly a big occasion so it’s great to have them all out there … it’s exciting … a big European night … we have to play our football … try to progress to the next round … we didn’t grow into the game [last week] … with the crowd behind us we can get some energy going early … hopefully the fans are excited and full of voice … we always go out there with the intent to win and score goals, and that’s what we have to do tonight … hopefully we’ll deliver.”
Spurs make six changes to their starting XI from the first leg against AZ in the Netherlands. Two are enforced, with Kevin Danso hamstrung and Rodrigo Bentancur suspended; Mathys Tel, Destiny Udogie, Archie Gray and Brennan Johnson drop to the bench. In come Cristian Romero, Dominic Solanke, Pedro Porro, Wilson Odobert, Pape Sarr and Micky van de Ven.
AZ make one change from last week. Ibrahim Sadiq replaces the injured Mayckel Lahdo on the wing.
Tottenham Hotspur v AZ teams
Tottenham Hotspur: Vicario, Porro, Romero, van de Ven, Spence, Bergvall, Sarr, Maddison, Odobert, Solanke, Son.
Subs: Austin, Whiteman, Bissouma, Tel, Udogie, Gray, Johnson, Davies, Scarlett, Moore.
AZ: Owuso-Oduro, Maikuma, Goes, Penetra, Wolfe, Clasie, Buurmeester, Koopmeiners, Sadiq, Parrott, Poku.
Subs: Verhulst, Zoet, Martins Indi, Belic, Dekker, Smit, de Wit, Meerdink, Dijkstra, van Duijn, Bouziane.
Referee: Joao Pedro Pinheiro (Portugal).
Rangers v Fenerbahçe teams
Rangers: Butland, Tavernier, Balogun, Souttar, Sterling, Raskin, Barron, Jefte, Cerny, Diomande, Dessers.
Subs: Kelly, Yilmaz, Propper, Lawrence, Bajrami, Nsiala-Makengo, Igamane, Hagi, McCausland, Rice, Curtis, Danilo.
Fenerbahçe: Egribayat, Muldur, Skriniar, Akcicek, Kostic, Samuel, Amrabat, Fred, Szymanski, Talisca, En Nesyri.
Subs: Livakovic, Cetin, Djiku, Yandas, Dzeko, Tadic, Kahveci, Tosun, Tograk.
Referee: Espen Eskas (Norway).
Spurs aren’t the only British giants battling tonight to save their season†. The Granadaland soap-opera stars of Coronation Street Manchester United welcome Real Sociedad to Weatherfield Old Trafford this evening: Daniel Harris will be all over that one in the MBM style. There’s also the small matter of Rangers versus Fenerbahce, with the Glasgow giants taking a 3-1 lead into tonight’s second leg at Ibrox. Now don’t shoot the messenger, I’m just simple folk, but there’s no MBM for that one. However I’ll try my best to keep an eye on that here as well, not least because one of either Barry Ferguson or Jose Mourinho is guaranteed to end the evening with a face on, and combustable Euro-infused entertainment isn’t the sole preserve of teams from Madrid. Strap in, folks, it could be quite the ride.
†: This of course assumes Chelsea are going to make it through to the last eight of the Conference League, on account of having won their first leg 2-1 in Copenhagen. We’ll keep you posted, nonetheless, and pivot shamelessly should things go awry
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Preamble
We’ve been here before this season …
… so there’s no reason why Ange Postecoglou’s unpredictable side can’t repair the damage done in the Netherlands last week …
… and keep alive hopes of their manager maintaining his record of always winning a trophy in his second full season at a club. Tottenham’s 2024-25 campaign – and their current pursuit of a first major trophy since 2008, and a first European pot since 1984 – stands or falls tonight. Kick-off is at 8pm GMT. It’s on!
