Rangers

Image source, Getty Images

• Despite creating 9.2 xG (expected goals) in the Europa League this season, Rangers have scored just four goals, with their -5.2 xG difference the biggest underperformance in the competition this term.

• Including qualifiers, Rangers have lost their past five away matches in Europe, which is already their joint-longest run of consecutive defeats on the road in Europe.

• Porto have won all of their three home matches in the Europa League this season; they last won four consecutive home matches in major European competition between October 2018 and March 2019 in the Champions League.

• Rangers have failed to win any of their previous three away matches against FC Porto in Europe (D2 L1), drawing 1-1 in the Europa League in the most recent of those games in October 2019.

• This is the seventh major European meeting between Porto and Rangers – the Portuguese side have won just one of the six previous games (D2 L3).

Fenerbahce have had a £13m bid for 21-year-old striker Youssef Chermiti rejected by Rangers. (Telegraph)

Talks over Ryan Naderi have stalled between Rangers and Hansa Rostock, with the German third-tier club unwilling to accept a £2.6m offer for the 22-year-old striker while they do not have a replacement - and believe they can sell him for more in the summer. (Florian Plettenberg on X)

Rangers have the scope to increase their offer for Naderi, who is keen on a move to Ibrox, should Rostock be willing to sell - but with a new striker their priority, the Ibrox club also have other options. (Rangers Review)

Rostock head coach Daniel Brinkmann has revealed they will not stand in Naderi's way over his proposed move to Rangers. (The National)

The offer Rangers rejected from Monaco for 22-year-old winger Djeidi Gassama was for a loan with an obligation to buy that was in excess of £10m. (Rangers Review)

Sheffield Wednesday would recoup a percentage of any profit Rangers make should the Ibrox club sell Gassama just six months after the winger made a £2.2m move from the Championship club. (The Star)

Bayer Leverkusen and Borussia Dortmund have scouted Rangers centre-half Emmanuel Fernandez and the 24-year-old is attracting significant attention from England after overcoming a difficult start following his summer transfer from Peterborough United. (Scottish Sun)

Former Rangers manager Philippe Clement wants to take out-of-favour Wales winger Rabbi Matondo, 25, on loan from Ibrox to Norwich City. (The72)

Three clubs are in discussions with Rangers over a deal for Joe Rothwell, 31, with the Ibrox club preferring a permanent transfer for the midfielder, whose stock remains high as a result of his performances in the Championship prior to his summer move to Scotland. (Rangers Review)

Rangers would seriously consider accepting a late offer for 26-year-old winger Nedim Bajrami before the 2 February transfer deadline. (Football Insider)

Albania playmaker Bajrami will not be forced out of Rangers and could be part of head coach Danny Rohl's plans for at least the rest of the season. (Daily Record)

Hacken have rejected a £3.2m bid from an unnamed club for 21-year-old Danish midfielder Silas Andersen, who has been linked a number of clubs including Celtic and Rangers. (Fotbolldirekt)

Rangers' board has admitted mistakes with recruitment led to the wrong profile of player being targeted in the summer in some instances. (The Herald)

Read the rest of Wednesday's gossip.

Jamie Currie
Fan writer

On a day that was about the debut of Andreas Skov Olsen, it was the captain who sent Rangers on their way to a nervy three points against Dundee.

Given what was unfolding at Tynecastle, it was important Rangers picked up the win. And while it never felt like a 3-0 game, you take that all day long.

First half was very stuffy and I felt Rangers were a bit safe in the final third, but we started the second with a purpose, and kudos to James Tavernier.

He stepped up and the tension within the stadium evaporated - grabbing his 100th league goal is remarkable. People forget this guy is a right-back.

By the time Danilo and Gassama scored the second and third, the stadium was a tad happy.

While there were nervy vibes at 1-0, Dundee never had a shot on target in the second half. And I have to give Jayden Meghoma a mention as Cam Congreve has proven to be a good player this season, and the Brentford loanee snuffed him out.

Right now is about winning, performances can wait. Heading into Thursday against Porto, I'd be playing guys who need the game time: Oliver Antman, Findlay Curtis, Bojan Miovski and others.

Most of the starters should be kept for Sunday as that's clearly more important.

On the topic of a title race, my thoughts are the same: win the next game and don't get distracted until the last five. Getting too high about things and losing focus can cause all sorts of issues.

That's eight wins in a row in all competitions for Danny Rohl, winning the next two games look unlikely, but Sunday at Easter Road is the one.

Let's see how that goes, then hopefully we will have a strong end to the window.

Of course, there is a feelgood factor about Rangers just now, and it's important to see the progress under Rohl, but this team can throw in a clanger of a result and that has to be avoided against Hibernian.

Image source, Getty Images

Rangers have bid 3m euros for striker Ryan Naderi, who plays for German third-division side Hansa Rostock. (Florian Plettenberg on X), external

The Ibrox club are in talks to sign Naderi, 22. (STV), external

Rangers have received a £2m offer from Pafos for forward Danilo, 26. (Sun), external

Meanwhile, Dutch club NEC see Danilo as a potential replacement for Kento Shiogai, who recently joined Wolfsburg. (Gelderlander - in Dutch), external

Monaco are interested in a loan with obligation to buy deal for Rangers winger Djeidi Gassama, 22. (Foot Mercato - in French), external

Rangers have rejected Monaco's offer for Gassama. (Record), external

Former Rangers head coach and Scotland defender Russell Martin is among the candidates to take over as Leicester City manager following the sacking of Marti Cifuentes. (Football Insider), external

Tuesday's Scottish gossip

Jonathan Sutherland
Sportscene presenter

James Tavernier notched up his 100th league goal for Rangers in their 3-0 win against Dundee which is absolutely phenomenal for a right-back.

The fact he is Rangers' top scorer in the Premiership this season is as impressive as it is telling in terms of the contribution of the strikers at the club this season.

Image source, SNS

Rangers captain James Tavernier says they cannot rest on their laurels in their hunt for the Scottish Premiership title.

Tavernier scored his 100th league goal for the club in Sunday's 3-0 win over Dundee, a result which took the Ibrox outfit to within four points of league leaders Hearts, who drew 2-2 with Celtic.

Rangers were 13 points adrift when Danny Rohl took over as head coach from Russell Martin in October, but have won their past eight matches under the German to bring themselves firmly into contention.

Tavernier says they will not let up in their hunt of silverware.

"It was obviously early days in the league and it's a long season," he said.

"You've always got to back yourselves no matter what, doing that by winning games.

"I said earlier in the season that we have to have that consistency and I believe we've started that and really shown our potential and it just has to continue.

"We've been in this position before in January where we've been ahead and then let it slip, so we can't afford that.

"It's my responsibility and the senior lads to keep everyone on their toes and really focus on what we need to do.

"You can tell that the confidence is growing.

"The start of the season was obviously not what we expected, but it's a credit to everyone who's been involved in the turnaround, the mentality of everyone to really knuckle down and look in the mirror and focus on ourselves and get the wins we need.

"Sometimes it's not been pretty and to win games and be in contention for titles you always have to find a way to win. I think we are doing that well.

"We obviously want the games to look more comfortable, but we're finding ways to win and the best thing is that we're keeping clean sheets as well. We just need to continue this hard work.

"If we keep doing what we've been showing, there's every chance of [winning the league], but it has to be consistent, we have to keep doing it week in, week out.

"We have the Porto game [on Thursday] and then it's obviously a tough game against Hibs, so we have got to get three points there."

Watch Sportscene pundits Andy Halliday and Scott Allan discuss James Tavernier's penalty for Rangers in Sunday's 3-0 win over Dundee, marking his 100th goal for Rangers.

Image source, SNS

Scott Allan believes head coach Danny Rohl has given Rangers better "foundations" since his October appointment.

However, the former Dundee, Hibernian and Celtic player feels the Ibrox side need an upgraded striker to clinch the title in May.

Rangers made it eight wins in a row in all competitions with a 3-0 victory at home to Dundee on Sunday, a sixth straight Scottish Premiership triumph.

The win moves Rohl's men up to second in the league, four points below Hearts and two points above Celtic.

"Rangers, I expected to beat Dundee," he told the BBC's Scottish Football Podcast.

"The momentum they're building, the players coming in who I think will make a difference to the starting XI, and I think there'll be more on the way.

"The clean sheets Rangers are getting is a big plus in their favour for me because I think foundations are looking a lot better, especially from what we've seen earlier on in season, how vulnerable they were under Russell Martin.

"That's a good starting point this January for Rangers. What's the quality like coming in on top of that? I still think they need a better striker to really go and win the league."

Captain James Tavernier's penalty in Rangers' 3-0 win over Dundee on Sunday was his 100th league goal for the Ibrox club.

Watch as BBC Scotland takes a look back to see how the right-back has reached that milestone for the Govan side.

We asked for your views on Rangers' 3-0 win at home to Dundee, which narrowed the gap at the top of the Scottish Premiership.

Here's what some of you said:

Sally: Another striker badly needed. A chance of winning the league may well depend on one being sourced. Danny Rohl has to be applauded for dragging this team to where they are in the league table. Emmanuel Fernandez and Nasser Djiga are forming a good partnership and with time could be the go-to partnership. Playing the ball faster suits this team but passes need to be sharpened.

Robert: Worst game for a while but still won, it's a good sign. A prolific striker and we win this league, it's that simple. Can see the team are bonding and fighting as a group now. Manager has worked a miracle with the squad.

Calum: Feels like this is such a big result. A hard few weeks ahead for us though, Hibs away, Hearts at home. Motherwell away and Celtic at home too, and that's without mentioning one or two other fixtures. Come out of this next month and a bit with near enough maximum points, and it definitely looks very good for Rangers. But time will tell, as it so often has for us.

Steven: This team still has a lot of convincing to do. While the three points are welcome and necessary, there is no real flow to our game and a real lack of a clinical edge. We're dominating the ball and doing little or nothing with it at times. Today's scoreline flattered the performance. Early days for the new recruits, but judgement will come pretty quickly for them if they don't improve the team's performance level.

Dee: With Russell Martin in charge, I had totally written off Rohl's first season as a bedding-in period. We are still miles off what I expect from a Rangers team, but we are getting results and moving forward. Hearts are playing great football, and Celtic after Martin O'Neill's reintroduction will fight for everything. But could we actually pull off the the biggest turnaround in SPFL history? It's in our hands.

Watch highlights as James Tavernier's 100th league goal for Rangers helps Danny Rohl's side narrow the gap at the top with a Scottish Premiership win over Dundee.

MATCH REPORT: Rangers 3-0 Dundee

Borna Barisic says he should have left Rangers following their 2022 Europa League defeat but stayed on because of his love for the club. (Herald - subscription required), external

An issue with VAR caused the kick-off of Rangers' Sunday win over Dundee to be delayed by six minutes.

Monday's Scottish gossip

James Tavernier scored his 100th league goal for Rangers as they beat Dundee to overtake Celtic and move within four points of Scottish Premiership leaders Hearts.

Match report

Have your say

Image source, SNS

Rangers head coach Danny Rohl: "It was a big, big win. Not an easy one, exactly what we expected. It was a good start in the second half. We were clinical at the end.

"You felt that in the stadium after the whistle the stands are full now. Big, big positive energy. It feels great with eight wins [in a row in all competitions]. We need these wins. We have 15 games to go, still a long way.

"A solid performance [from Tochi Chukwuani and Andreas Skov Olsen]. It's always new when you come in, you have to find your rhythm, you have to find your spaces, your team-mates around you have to understand you more. It's a normal first game but I'm happy to collect some minutes for them.

"Danilo scored, this is great. [Djeidi] Gassama scored. All the subs tried and helped the team. It was again a great team performance.

"I spoke about being hunter and this is still where we are. We want to hunt. We want to be on front foot. We want to win our games. If you do this, then in the next 15 games there is a big opportunity there. It's still hard work to do. It's not easy to win games in this league. If you hunt, you can be successful."

On the end of the transfer window, Rohl said: "Let's see what's in the market. The last, final week is coming. We have to make good decisions.

"It's possible. It's about timing. It's like dominoes. You have to wait sometimes, but if it's on and if there's a great opportunity then we will try looking for more players to strengthen the squad."

Ipswich Town have leapt to the head of the queue for Rangers target Dan Neil, with West Ham United also interested in the 24-year-old Sunderland midfielder. (Daily Record), external

Rangers will have to splash out upwards of £4m if they want to sign in-form 23-year-old Motherwell forward Tawanda Maswanhise this month. (Football Insider), external

There is still interest from Glasgow in 22-year-old Dunajska Streda forward Damir Redzic, with Rangers, Celtic, RB Salzburg, Copenhagen and Olympiacos among interested clubs. (Daily Record), external

Read Sunday's Scottish Gossip in full.

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, SNS

Full-back Max Aarons believes Rangers can "do something special" this season under Danny Rohl.

The Ibrox side are rejuvenated since the German picked up the pieces from Russell Martin's calamitous reign, with the 1-0 Europa League win over Ludogorets making it seven straight victories in all competitions.

A 13-point deficit on Premiership leaders Hearts has been trimmed to six points before Dundee's visit to Ibrox on Sunday.

Aarons, 26, who arrived on loan from Bournemouth last summer, said: "The manager has brought a calmness, some amazing ideas.

"And the togetherness in the group, I can feel it even just around the training ground.

"There's a big belief now and as we look at the league, again, there's a belief that we can do something special and we're all in for that.

"We've all come together and I think we've turned this around and put ourselves in a really positive position so now with 16 league games to go, it's on us to really capitalise on that and follow that up.

"We were way behind and again, I have to give credit to the group as well because we've turned things around, but as I say, there's no point getting to this position and then letting up and resting.

"Sunday is hugely important, then the next one, then the next one.

"We have full belief and as I say, I came here, a lot of the boys came here and the group here before, we want to do something special."

Aarons pointed to the 3-1 win over Celtic at Parkhead to start off 2026 as the standard required to come through and finish top of the heap.

He said: "Games like the Celtic game, we have to take that belief and we have to put that sort of performance on the pitch every single week.

"We can't rest on a game that's happened a few days before. There's another team that's trying to take points off us. I think we have to go all out and Sunday is a huge game.

"And I think when you're in this form, you can feel it building week to week. We're in a really good spot and now it's about keeping that going."

Image source, SNS

Denmark winger Andreas Skov Olsen could make his Rangers debut while fellow new signing Tochi Chukwuani could make his first start. Belgian left-back Tuur Rommens, the third January signing, is catching up on fitness.

John Souttar and Dujon Sterling will miss out again but could return next week. Connor Barron is out long term with a knee ligament problem while Derek Cornelius and Nedim Bajrami remain out with muscle injuries.

Dundee have lost Billy Koumetio to a knee injury for several months while forward Joe Westley (ankle) remains out.