How Rangers can still qualify for the Europa League and the unlikely scoreline required v Ajax

Rangers know what they need to do to avoid finishing bottom of their Champions League group after going down 3-0 to Napoli in their penultimate fixture.

Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s men have lost all five matches but can still finish third and drop into the Europa League. Ajax’s 3-0 home loss to Liverpool has opened the door for the team to remain in Europe beyond Christmas. The chances, however, are slim.

The most the team can finish on his three points, the same as Ajax. When teams finish on the same points, the first tiebreaker is the head-to-head record. If Rangers were to beat the Dutch giants at Ibrox next week it would tie the clubs on three points, won against each other. The second method to separate sides is goal difference in head-to-head matches among the tied teams.

With Ajax having defeated Rangers 4-0 in the opening clash of the Champions League, Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s men will need to win by five goals.

So far, Rangers’ first campaign back in the Champions League since the 2010/11 season has been a disaster since winning the play-off against PSV Eindhoven. If they lose to Ajax it will be the 21st occasion in the competition’s history, since the switch to 32 teams, that a club has finished the group stage with zero points. With a goal difference of -18, the team need to avoid defeat by two goals to ensure they don't post the worst losing record in the group stage which is currently held by Dinamo Zagreb.