Croatia
Indonesia
Nigeria
South Africa

RangersRangersvs.West HamWest Ham United

sportsmole.co.uk, 17 July 2022, 14:13
Rangers and West Ham United will both be aiming to maintain their unbeaten starts to pre-season in Tuesday's friendly at Ibrox.

Giovanni van Bronckhorst's side ran out 2-1 winners against Blackpool in their most recent exhibition game, while the Hammers were held to a 1-1 draw by Reading.

Match preview

After a friendly with Sunderland in Portugal was comically abandoned midway through the game due to a floodlight failure, Rangers made the journey to Bloomfield Road and proceeded to survive a late scare to get the better of Blackpool 2-1.

Borna Barisic and Charlie McCann both struck in the second half for the Scottish giants before Beryly Lubala made things interesting with just one minute to go, but the Gers held on to make it two for two during a pre-season of paramount importance.

Still reeling from the disappointment of ceding the Scottish Premiership title to Celtic and the manner in which they lost the Europa League final to Eintracht Frankfurt, Rangers now return to their Glasgow base to face two English capital counterparts in West Ham and Tottenham Hotspur in the coming weeks.

Rangers have also put three past Partick Thistle in a 3-2 friendly win at their training ground this summer, but Van Bronckhorst will be itching for a clean sheet and made his feelings on Lubala's late strike for Blackpool clear after Saturday's triumph.

Prior to a trip to the Madejski Stadium, West Ham had already been pegged back by one lower-league side to draw 1-1 at Boreham Wood, and lightning struck twice for David Moyes's side in Berkshire on Saturday.

Nikola Vlasic drew first blood for the Hammers with 51 minutes on the clock, but Yakou Meite drew the Royals level not long after to ensure a share of the spoils and extend West Ham's unbeaten pre-season streak to four matches.

Moyes - who has also witnessed his Hammers outfit get the better of Servette and Ipswich Town in the summer months - was pleased to welcome back the majority of his international crop as preparations ramp up for another campaign of domestic and continental football.

After the showdown with Rangers, West Ham will round off their pre-season period away to Luton Town and Lens before the 2022-23 Premier League campaign commences, with the Hammers being assigned one of the most difficult early tests at home to Manchester City.

Rangers and West Ham are yet to lock horns competitively in any competition, but one can anticipate that will change soon as the two sides continue their quests for continental success.

Rangers pre-season form:

West Ham United pre-season form:

Team News

Rangers' new signings have been integrated into the squad by Van Bronckhorst straight away, with Rabbi Matondo, Tom Lawrence and John Souttar all coming off the bench against Blackpool.

The Gers have also sealed a loan deal for Bayern Munich starlet Malik Tillman, who could make his debut here, but Calvin Bassey was not involved at the weekend as he closes in on a move to Ajax.

Ianis Hagi is making progress in his recovery from a severe knee injury but will still be out for some months, and he is joined in the treatment room by Kemar Roofe, Filip Helander and Alfredo Morelos.

As for West Ham, Craig Dawson and Tomas Soucek were both absent from the draw with Reading due to minor injury problems, and it remains to be seen if the duo will be risked on Tuesday.

Angelo Ogbonna got some more minutes in his legs after his comeback from knee surgery, while Declan Rice, Jarrod Bowen, Vladimir Coufal and new signing Nayef Aguerd were among the international players to return at the Madejski Stadium.

West Ham will manage to avoid the extreme London heat on Tuesday, but Moyes can still be expected to make wholesale changes throughout as Lukasz Fabianski and Alphonse Areola resume their battle for the gloves.

Rangers possible starting lineup:

McGregor; Tavernier, Goldson, Souttar, Barisic; Jack, Kamara, Lundstram; Lawrence, Colak, Kent

West Ham United possible starting lineup:

Fabianski; Coufal, Zouma, Aguerd, Cresswell; Rice, Downes; Bowen, Fornals, Benrahma; Antonio

We say: Rangers 1-1 West Ham United

Both Van Bronckhorst and Moyes will make full use of their squads as ever this week, but the Hammers' draw with Reading showed that the international crop still need a bit of time to get re-acquainted with domestic football.

Previews by email

Top News

22 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Liverpool must take advantage of Tottenham Hotspur's considerable weaknesses and will be confident of victory on Sunday according to Reds expert David Lynch. 22 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk The January transfer window is almost here and clubs around the UK and Europe are lining up moves as they look to take advantage of the opportunity to strengthen. 22 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Union Saint-Jean vs. Monaco (Sunday, 1.45pm) On Sunday, in a David vs. Goliath affair, Union Saint-Jean can pull off one of the biggest upsets in Coupe de France history when they take on Monaco in the round of 64 at Stadium de Toulouse. 22 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Gaziantep vs. Antalyaspor (Sunday, 10.30am) After their Turkish Cup victory in midweek, Gaziantep will now turn their attention to the Turkish Super Lig, with Antalyaspor visiting the Kalyon Stadyumu in Sunday's gameweek 17 encounter. 22 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Santa Clara vs. Braga (Sunday, 5.00pm) Still reeling from crashing out of the Taca de Portugal, Santa Clara return to action in the Primeira Liga when they play host to Braga at the Estadio de Sao Miguel on Sunday. 22 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Sparta vs. Ajax (Sunday, 11.15am) Ajax will be looking to end the year on a high when they travel to Sparta-Stadion Het Kasteel to take on a stuttering Sparta Rotterdam in the Eredivisie on Sunday. 22 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Valencia vs. Alaves (Sunday, 1.00pm) Valencia will attempt to claim their third league when they welcome relegation rivals Alaves to Mestalla for Sunday's crucial La Liga encounter. 22 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Roma vs. Parma (Sunday, 11.30am) Both struggling in the bottom half of the Serie A standings, Roma and Parma will hope for an early Christmas gift when they meet at Stadio Olimpico on Sunday. 22 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk VfL Bochum vs. Heidenheim (Sunday, 2.30pm) In a relegation six-pointer, VfL Bochum will hope to defeat Heidenheim when they welcome them to Vonovia Ruhrstadion on Sunday in their 15th Bundesliga game of the season. 22 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Dundee Utd vs. Celtic (Sunday, 12.00pm) Celtic, looking to maintain their unbeaten run in the Scottish Premiership, will travel to Tannadice Park on Sunday afternoon to face Dundee United. 22 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Everton vs. Chelsea (Sunday, 2.00pm) Chelsea have the chance to go top of the Premier League for a brief time at least when they travel to Goodison Park to face Everton on Sunday. 22 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk South American giants Palmeiras have reportedly sent an 'initial proposal' to Fulham for midfielder Andreas Pereira. 22 December 2024 talksport.com Nuno Espirito Santo will rival Arne Slot to win the Premier League's Manager of the Year award. 22 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Barcelona want to sever ties with attacker Ansu Fati at the earliest opportunity in the January transfer window but the player is rebelling against a move, according to a report. 21 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Bayern Munich winger Leroy Sane has confirmed that he wants to remain at the Allianz Arena despite links with a return to the Premier League next year. 21 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Serie A powerhouses Napoli have supposedly expressed an interest in signing Manchester United defender Harry Maguire on a free transfer next summer. 21 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Alexander Sorloth scored a last-gasp winner as Atletico Madrid defeated Barcelona 2-1 at Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys to go top of the La Liga table. 21 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Arsenal attacker Bukayo Saka has been seen leaving Selhurst Park on crutches after sustaining a suspected hamstring problem in Saturday's 5-1 Premier League win over Crystal Palace. 21 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Arsenal have written a new page of English football history thanks to their 5-1 destruction of London rivals Crystal Palace in Saturday's Premier League derby. 21 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Round 17 of the 2024-25 Turkish Super Lig will be wrapped up with a clash between two sides from the Marmara region, as Istanbul Basaksehir welcome Kasimpasa to the Basaksehir Fatih Terim Stadyumu on Monday evening. 21 December 2024 talksport.com Leicester loan star Facundo Buonanotte wants to see a Tottenham forward join him so they can rekindle their partnership. 21 December 2024 talksport.com Arsenal's rivals will hate it but they can definitely claim London is red after their 5-1 win over Crystal Palace. 21 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Arsenal striker Gabriel Jesus continued his resurgence with two goals as the Gunners demolished Crystal Palace 5-1 in the Premier League at Selhurst Park. 21 December 2024 talksport.com Arsenal fans' worst fears have been realised with Bukayo Saka substituted early with a suspected hamstring injury. 21 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Arsenal have suffered a worrying injury blow over Bukayo Saka, who appeared to pick up a hamstring problem in Saturday's Premier League clash with Crystal Palace. 21 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Barcelona and Arsenal are reportedly both interested in signing Sevilla midfielder Lucien Agoume, with the France Under-21s international potentially leaving Estadio Ramon next summer. 21 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Real Madrid have welcomed Ferland Mendy back into their squad for Sunday's La Liga clash with Sevilla. 21 December 2024 talksport.com Mykhailo Mudryk will be sat ringside at Oleksandr Usyk's rematch with Tyson Fury days after being suspended from football. 21 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Southampton have confirmed the appointment of former Roma head coach Ivan Juric as their new manager following the departure of Russell Martin. 21 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Newcastle United's 4-0 victory against Ipswich Town on Saturday afternoon at Portman Road ensured that they followed up their qualification for the EFL Cup semi-final with an important three points in the Premier League.