Rangers vs Jablonec – News and Probable Lineups

Rangers are set to host FK Baumit Jablonec at Ibrox Stadium this Thursday for the first leg of their Conference League playoff qualifying round clash.

The home team fell into this competition after being defeated by Jagiellonia Bialystok in the Europa League’s third qualifying round, while the visitors advanced past Rigas Futbola Skola, securing their spot in this round.

Match overview

Rangers have experienced a challenging beginning to the 2026-27 season under their new head coach Derek McInnes, who took over during the summer following a successful season with Hearts last year.

McInnes’s team has significantly bolstered its roster over the summer, welcoming new players including Lawrence Shankland, Daisuke Yokota, Dan Neil, Ben Godfrey, and multiple others.

However, Rangers have struggled to find their rhythm under the new management, failing to secure a victory in any of their first four matches across all competitions with two draws and two losses.

A particularly disappointing 2-1 defeat to Jagiellonia Bialystok in the first leg of their Europa League third qualifying round tie was followed by a 1-1 draw in the return leg, resulting in a surprising exit from the second-tier European club tournament.

As a result, Rangers dropped into the Conference League and will face Jablonec, positioning the Gers as the likely favorites to reach the league stage.

The Gers will also enter this first leg with a boost, having achieved their first win of the season last time, convincingly defeating St Mirren 5-1 in the Scottish League Cup.

Nevertheless, Jablonec should not be underestimated, as the visitors arrive at Ibrox having secured victories in their last six games across all competitions.

Although they lost their opening match against NK Varazdin in the Conference League’s second qualifying round, Jablonec turned the tie around with a 2-0 win in the second leg.

They have also won all three of their league matches during this successful run and subsequently triumphed over Rigas Futbola Skola with a comfortable 4-1 aggregate score in the third qualifying round.

Now aiming for a favorable outcome before the second leg at their own ground, where Jablonec remains unbeaten in their last nine matches, the visiting side will seek to challenge and potentially upset their hosts.

Team News

McInnes will be without Youssef Chermiti, Ben Godfrey, and Jose Cifuentes due to ongoing injuries.

In their Scottish League Cup victory against St Mirren, Rangers fielded a rotated squad, meaning their first-choice eleven will be fully fit and available for selection against Jablonec.

Thus, players such as Lawrence Shankland, Dan Neil, and Findlay Curtis are expected to start.

For Jablonec, Nassim Innocenti and Kevin Prince-Milla are doubts due to injury issues.

After achieving a 2-1 win over RFS in their last match, Lubos Kozel might choose to retain the same starting team for this initial leg.

Rangers probable starting XI:

Pandur; Sterling, Fernandez, Makhanya, Penridge; Neil, Devlin, Ruskin; Curtis, Shankland, Gassama

FK Baumit Jablonec probable starting XI:

Hanus; Colanders, Tekijaski, Pavlovic; Chanturishvili, Nebyla, Sedlacek, Zorvan, Slama; Jawa, Polidar

Although Rangers have had a lackluster start this season, their 5-1 triumph last time out should instill significant confidence, and coupled with home advantage, we are anticipating the hosts to achieve a second consecutive victory for the first time under McInnes.