Rangers ready for Stuttgart strength

In a group including the might of FC Barcelona and perennial French champions Olympique Lyonnais, Rangers FC and VfB Stuttgart will both be well aware of the importance of a good start in the UEFA Champions League. A victory to begin their last campaign in 2005/06 set the Scottish side on their way to the first knockout round but past experience against the German title-holders will remind that opening-day success does not always lead to progress.

• With goals from Christian Nerlinger and Peter Løvenkrands cancelling out Kevin Kuranyi's opener, Rangers won 2-1 against Stuttgart on Matchday 1 in 2003/04 and while the Scottish side stumbled after that, the Bundesliga outfit went on to reach the first knockout round. Rangers could only manage one point from their next five fixtures as they eventually finished bottom of a section won by Manchester United FC with Stuttgart in second.

• The Rangers lineup at Ibrox on 16 September 2003 was: Klos, Ricksen (Ross 34), Emerson (Capucho 66), Arveladze, Nerlinger, Mols, Khizanisvili, Vanoli (Løvenkrands 46), Ball, Arteta, Berg.

• The Stuttgart lineup was: Hildebrand, Hinkel, Bordon, Meira, Gerber (Szabics 81), Tiffert, Hleb, Heldt (Meissner 70), Cacau (Amanatidis 46), Soldo, Kuranyi.

• Stuttgart gained a measure of revenge in the return on 26 November, winning 1-0 thanks to Timo Wenzel's goal on the stroke of half-time. Stuttgart won through to play Chelsea FC in the last 16 but were eliminated after losing 1-0 at home and drawing 0-0 away.

• The Stuttgart lineup was: Hildebrand, Hinkel, Wenzel, Meira, Meissner, Hleb (Centurión 73), Heldt (Tiffert 49), Szabics (Branco 89), Soldo, Lahm, Kuranyi.

• The Rangers lineup was: Klos, Ricksen, Arveladze, Khizanishvili, Vanoli (Mols 55), Ball, Capucho, Ross (Østenstad 70), Berg, Løvenkrands (Burke 80), Hughes.

• Rangers won through to the 2007/08 group stage via two qualifying rounds. They first overcame FK Zeta with a 2-0 home victory and a 1-0 success away before seeing off FK Crvena Zvezda by a 1-0 aggregate margin having won the first leg by that score. Stuttgart qualified automatically as German champions.

• Naturally, no one at Ibrox would complain about starting with victory this time around especially as a good start helped them to their best showing to date on their last qualification in 2005/06. A 3-2 defeat of FC Porto paved the way for a run that led to the last 16, making them the first Scottish side to reach the knockout stages of the UEFA Champions League.

• Rangers' last home match in the competition was a 2-2 home draw with Villarreal CF on 22 February 2006 before a 1-1 draw at El Madrigal led to them missing out on the quarter-finals on away goals. Rangers did not lose any of their four home games in the 2005/06 edition, that Porto triumph being followed by 0-0 and 1-1 draws against FC Artmedia Petržalka and FC Internazionale Milano.

• The four-game unbeaten streak at Ibrox was preceded by a 3-1 defeat by Panathinaikos FC on 9 December 2003.

• Rangers have played against German opposition 38 times in home-and-away encounters, including group stages. They have won 14, drawn 13 and lost eleven. They also played FC Bayern München in the 1966 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup final, losing 1-0.

• Their biggest win in UEFA club competition was an 8-0 victory against VfL Borussia Mönchengladbach in the 1960/61 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup quarter-finals. However, their biggest European defeat was also against German opposition, losing 6-1 at Eintracht Frankfurt in the 1959/60 European Champion Clubs' Cup semi-finals.

• Apart from that previous head to head with Rangers, Stuttgart have only played two other ties against Scottish sides and both came in the UEFA Cup. In the 2000/01 first round, they drew 3-3 on aggregate against Heart of Midlothian FC, progressing on away goals. In the 2002/03 fourth round, they went out 5-4 over two legs against Celtic FC.

• In three home matches, Stuttgart have won 1-0, 3-2 and 1-0 against Hearts, Celtic and Rangers respectively but they have tellingly lost each match in Scotland (3-2, 3-1 and 2-1).