Man Utd may have psychological advantage over Rangers, it goes back to Sir Alex Ferguson’s days

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Manchester United host Rangers in the Europa League on Thursday night.

With two games left to play in the Europa League, Manchester United and Rangers stand a chance of qualifying for the knockout phase.

Ideally, the Reds will avoid the play-off rounds as that would mean two extra fixtures for Ruben Amorim’s side and less time on the training pitch as he attempts to implement his preferred style on United’s first-team.

While United are unbeaten in the Europa League this season, Rangers were beaten on one occasion, against Lyon at Ibrox Stadium.

United will aim to get over Sunday’s 3-1 defeat against Brighton, but they have won their last two matches in the competition, overcoming Bodo/Glimt and Viktoria Plzen.

Manchester United have edge over Rangers

Although this will be the first Europa League meeting between United and Rangers, they have met four times in the prestigious Champions League.

Rangers have yet to register a win over United in a competitive game of football. Their best result came in 2010, a scoreless draw at Old Trafford, but United won 1-0 in the return fixture at Ibrox Stadium. Wayne Rooney scored the only goal on the night.

In 2003, United recorded their biggest win over Rangers as Ruud van Nistelrooy netted a brace after Diego Forlan’s 6-minute opener.

The head-to-head record gives United the psychological edge over Rangers on Thursday night.

Ruben Amorim can build on impressive European record

After winning his first two European matches as United manager, Ruben Amorim has a chance to extend his 100 per cent record in the Europa League.

Rangers are looking to prove a point at Old Trafford and Amorim will want to avoid further upsets after a rocky start in domestic competitions.

Furthermore, Amorim was unbeaten in the Champions League as Sporting CP manager this season. His run included a 4-1 win over Pep Guardiola’s Man City.