Q&AA familiar dangerman, UCL return and tactics - the lowdown on Rangers

Following a brief hiatus from European action after last month's dramatic win over AFC Ajax, Jürgen Klopp's side will be looking for another positive result in Group A.

The contest is the first meeting between the two teams in an official capacity, with the return group fixture taking place at Ibrox in just over a week's time.

For the lowdown on Rangers, we spoke to The Athletic's Jordan Campbell about the campaign so far, Giovanni van Bronckhorst's tactics, a special achievement in Europe, and more…

It is still early in the season, but how do you assess how Rangers have done so far in the 2022-23 campaign?

I think it's probably the case in Giovanni van Bronckhorst's tenure overall that it's been a bit up and down since he came in last November. Last season domestically there was a 10-point swing after the winter break, which saw Celtic reclaim the title, but it was Europe that provided the safety net and an unbelievable run to Seville and the Europa League final. I don't think anyone really expected that whatsoever.

This summer there was always going to be a bit of overturn within the squad because the team had been so stable for three or four years under previous manager Steven Gerrard. Seven players came in and some big names went out for big money, but only three of them have really made an impact so far. You've got Antonio Colak, who came in to challenge Alfredo Morelos up front, Malik Tillman on loan from Bayern Munich, and Tom Lawrence who signed from Derby, who have all done relatively well. But apart from that, they have £10million worth of players who have not really featured so far – Ben Davies, who Liverpool fans will know well, has been getting up to speed since he joined.

Domestically, Rangers have fallen behind Celtic in the Scottish Premiership so far and there was a bit of negativity before the break, having lost the Old Firm and to both Ajax and Napoli. I think the big test after the international break is whether they can react.

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It's been 12 years since Rangers last reached the Champions League. With everything that has happened, how big an achievement does it feel like in Glasgow?

It's massive. If you look at where Rangers were in 2012 in the fourth tier of Scottish football... to within 11 or 12 years coming back up and winning the league and reaching a European final – they really had no right to do that last year given they had to knock out Borussia Dortmund, Sporting Braga, Red Star Belgrade and RB Leipzig, they weren't easy teams. The big question was whether they could make the step up this year and Ibrox has been massive again in helping to pull them through in difficult moments to get to where they are now.

If you had to pick out a dangerman for Liverpool fans to look out for in the team, who would that be?

It's a difficult one right now because Rangers have struggled in an attacking sense. The player you would always look to for inspiration is someone Liverpool fans will know well in Ryan Kent. He tends to turn it on in the bigger European games and in the Old Firm games when he's got a bit more space; he can be really direct from the left wing. If he's on form, then I think Kent is always the dangerman for opposition teams because he's got that athleticism that can really hurt teams at the top level.

I'm sure he'll go into the two games with a point to prove against his old team. If Morelos is available and fit, then he's someone else who has done it against proven defences before – he's Rangers' top European goalscorer in the club's history and on top form I'm sure he can be a nuisance for Liverpool.

Can you just tell us a bit about Giovanni van Bronckhorst's style of play and preferred formation?

It can be 4-3-3 or sometimes he can switch to a 4-2-3-1 – the latter has probably been the one they've used more often this season. I would expect to see that again as he's tended to like that in Europe. In terms of the style, I don't think he's scared to be direct, whereas Gerrard was pretty loyal to his 4-2-3-1 where everything would be really narrow and they would play with two number 10s inside and a compact midfield. Van Bronckhorst is a lot more willing to go and press teams and be really aggressive. I think you'll probably see them try to strike a balance against Liverpool.

There is going to be two games in eight days between the two teams. How do you think Rangers' approach will differ between Anfield and Ibrox?

At Ibrox you're guaranteed to see them try to unsettle Liverpool from the back. Whether it's Alisson trying to play out or Van Dijk, I think they'll try to get in their faces if last season is anything to go on. They really try to make it as uncomfortable as possible and use the Ibrox crowd to their advantage. I imagine they'll try to turn it into a bit of a frantic and frenetic game. I do think it'll be a big learning experience at Anfield and it might take them a bit of time to adjust and to see what level Liverpool are at.