VfB Stuttgart v Rangers (Tue)

Champions League, Group E match
Date: Tuesday, 27 November
Kick-off: 1945 GMT
Venue: Gottlieb-Daimler Stadium
Listen: BBC Radio 5 Live, BBC Radio Scotland (810 MW) Updates: BBC Sport website and mobile

Rangers midfielder Brahim Hemdani is likely to return for the Champions League visit to Germany.

The visitors are expected to choose Jean-Claude Darcheville as the lone striker ahead of Daniel Cousin and Kris Boyd, while Nacho Novo is injured.

Stuttgart are set to be without top scorer Mario Gomez, with the striker picking up a rib injury.

Influential Turkish international midfielder Yildiray Basturk is sidelined with a hamstring strain.

Media conference: Rangers manager Walter Smith Media conference: Rangers defender Lee McCulloch

Rangers (from): McGregor, Hutton, Weir, Cuellar, Papac, Beasley, Ferguson, Thomson, McCulloch, Darcheville, Boyd, Cousin, Naismith, Carroll, Adam, Whittaker, Hemdani, Gow, Buffel.

BIG MATCH STATS

Qualification

Rangers will qualify for the next round if they beat Stuttgart, and Lyon are beaten by Barcelona.

Head-to-heads

Before the reverse fixture in this group, Rangers and VfB Stuttgart had met twice before, both times in the 2003-04 Champions League.

On 16 September 2003, Rangers won 2-1 through goals by Christian Nerlinger and Peter Lovenkrands. Kevin Kuranyi opened the scoring for the visitors. On 26 November 2003, Stuttgart won 1-0, when Timo Wenzel netted. On 19 September this year, Rangers won 2-1 through goals by Charlie Adam and Jean-Claude Darcheville. Mario Gomez netted for the German visitors.

European history

In 2003-04, VfB Stuttgart reached the last 16 on their CL debut.

In 2005-06, Rangers were the first Scottish team to survive the CL group phase, reaching the last 16.

Current European form

Stuttgart have not won in their last seven CL matches, since the 1-0 victory over Rangers on 26 November 2003. They have lost all four CL matches this season, and not scored a goal in their last three CL home matches, losing all three.

Rangers' defeat at FC Barcelona in the previous group match ended a nine-game unbeaten sequence in the CL, a run which started with six consecutive draws. Rangers have not scored in their last two CL matches.

Player and disciplinary info

David Weir (Rangers) will be suspended if booked.

Only three of Stuttgart's players have scored CL goals - Mario Gomez (three), Ciprian Marica (two) and Yildiray Basturk (one). Gomez is the only one of the trio to score for VfB Stuttgart in the Champions League.

Other miscellaneous facts

VfB Stuttgart won 4-1 at Eintracht Frankfurt on Saturday and are in seventh place in the Bundesliga with 22 points from fourteen matches. They have lost six league matches in the current campaign - equalling the total they suffered last season.

Rangers won 3-1 at Falkirk, and are second in the SPL, three points behind Celtic.

Definitions of terms used:-

Champions League (CL) - only group phase matches and beyond of this competition which began in 1992-93.
Champions Cup/Champions League - all matches played since it began in 1955-56 including qualification matches.
European matches - all matches played in the major European tournaments (Fairs Cup, Uefa Cup, Cup Winners' Cup, Champions Cup, Champions League).
Uefa Super Cups, Intertoto Cups and the old Intercontinental Cup competition are excluded.

Big Match Stats source: Infostrada Sports

Source: BBC Sport