RANGERS have been transformed under Philippe Clement so far it seems, but he faces another huge test on Thursday when Sparta Prague visit Ibrox.
The Belgian has yet to taste defeat and while no one is realistically claiming they have turned into world beaters, the Belgian appears to be far more competent at organising a team than his predecessor Michael Beale.
He's 90 minute away from lifting his first trophy as Rangers manager, but he must first concentrate on a tricky Europa League encounter against a Sparta Prague side who outplayed them in the Czech capital the other week.
Rangers somehow survived that onslaught to take a point back to Scotland in a goalless draw and the group is delicately poised after three games with only three points separating Real Betis at the top to Aris Limassol at the bottom.
Sparta saw their unbeaten run in the league come to an end the other week with a shock defeat at Mlada Boleslav, but bounced back with a couple of wins against city rivals Bohemians in the cup and the league.
They narrowly lost in Spain to Betis and beat Aris at home in their other two games.
How the bookies view it
Rangers are favourites here at evens with bet365. Sparta Prague can be backed at 27/10 with Coral and the draw is 23/10 with BetVictor.
Recent head to heads
That goalless draw in Prague was the first draw between the clubs in their previous meetings. Rangers have twice defeated Sparta at Ibrox in 2021 and 1991.
Players to watch
James Tavernier once again showed his value to Rangers at the weekend with two goals from set-pieces via the penalty spot and a free kick. The Ibrox skipper is 10/3 to score anytime with Paddy Power.
Veljko Birmancevic also takes the penalties for Sparta and scored at the weekend and in Spain against Betis. He is 5/1 to score anytime with bet365.
Anything else catch the eye?
Rangers tend to be very strong at home in Europe and can carry on their recent surge of momentum by beating the Czechs at Ibrox.
They produced a very professional display against Hearts in the Viaplay Cup semi-final at Hampden and while Sparta are obviously a step up from a limited Jambos side, if they can beat Betis in Glasgow, they can manage it against Sparta too.
The Czech champions have had a few injuries recently and their form has dipped somewhat. And, as they showed in Prague, they aren't the most clinical of sides.
In fact, it wouldn't be the biggest of shocks if this is a tight affair with perhaps only a goal separating it. Go for under 1.5 goals at 14/5 with UniBet.
This UEFA Europa League match between Rangers and Sparta Prague will be played on Nov 9, 2023 and kick off at 20:00. Check below for our tipsters best Rangers vs Sparta Prague prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
