Rangers have won ten of 15 previous meetings with Belgian clubs, including all seven at home before this season. Genk will take on Scottish opposition for the very first time.
Rangers vs Genk preview
The start to this season has been historically catastrophic for Rangers, but the Europa League has been their favourite competition in recent times, with this the start of yet another campaign. During the summer, after dumping out Panathinaikos and then Viktoria Plzeň, the Gers were demolished 9-1 by Club Brugge in the Champions League play-offs, their biggest aggregate defeat for 65 years.
Meantime, the pressure on new manager Russell Martin is enormous, considering the Light Blues have failed to win any of their five Premiership matches so far, their worst start to a league season since 1978. They did at least beat Hibernian 2-0 in the League Cup quarter-finals on Saturday, Nicolas Raskin and Bojan Miovski the scorers, so will now face Celtic in the semis at Hampden.
Here, can Rangers supporters seek solace in the Europa League, as they have done regularly since returning to the group stages in 2018 under Steven Gerrard? The Gers have reached the knockout stages in five of the last six seasons, getting to the 2022 final of course, before being beaten quarter-finalists just last season. In this year's league phase, Roma, Braga and Ludogorets Razgrad will also visit Ibrox, while they'll travel to Sturm Graz, Brann, Ferencváros and Porto. Having finished eighth in last year's table, that should be the aim again, making three points on Thursday a must for Martin.
As for Genk, having finished third in Belgium last season, they've qualified for a tenth UEFA group stage, hammering Lech Poznań 6-3 in the play-off round to book their spot. The Smurfs have not reached the knockout phase of any European competition since 2018/19, so changing that fact has to be the aim, with a relatively generous schedule ahead in the coming months.
Although, so far this season, like their hosts, Thorsten Fink's team have endured a terrible start in the Jupiler Pro League. Sunday's 2-1 home defeat at the hands of champions Royale Union Saint-Gilloise leaves them third bottom, thereby occupying the relegation play-off spot, having won only two of eight matches to date, these victories coming against perennial strugglers Oud-Heverlee Leuven and newly-promoted Zulte Waregem. Thus, in summary, neither side are in a great place right now, making this Thursday night matchday one opener at Ibrox nigh on impossible to call.
Rangers vs Genk head-to-head record
These two clubs have never previously met.
Rangers team news
Russell Martin recalled star midfielder Nicolas Raskin to his team against Hibs on Saturday, and the Belgian was excellent, so will once again start alongside Mohamed Diomandé.
In defence, Canadian international Derek Cornelius started for the first time since arriving from Marseille at the weekend, while fellow new recruit Bojan Miovski bagged his first goal for the club.
Rangers predicted lineup vs Genk: (4-3-3): Butland; Tavernier, Cornelius, Souttar, Meghoma; Raskin, Diomandé, Aasgaard; Antman, Gassama, Danilo.
Rangers player to watch vs Genk
Djeidi Gassama was the star of Champions League qualifying, on target home and away against Panathinaikos before bagging a brace during the 3-0 home vicotry over Viktoria Plzeň, so could he be the hero at Ibrox again?
Genk team news
Thorsten Fink is without star winger Konstantinos Karetsas due to the back injury; the 17 year old wonderkid scored for Greece against Scotland at Hampden back in March.
In his absence, weekend scorer Junya Itō will start out-wide, with Patrik Hrošovský also a threat.
Genk predicted lineup vs Rangers: (4-2-3-1): Lawal; El Ouahdi, Mujaid, Smets, Kayembe; Heynen, Bangoura, Steuckers, Hrošovský, Itō; Oh Hyeon-gyu.
Genk player to watch vs Rangers
Striker Oh Hyeon-gyu will not receive a warm welcome back to Glasgow, have scored 12 goals in 47 appearances for Celtic. The South Korean international has certainly impressed since making the switch to Genk, netting 14 times for since the start of last season.
Thus, he was set to move to Stuttgart for a whopping £24 million on deadline day, but the deal collapsed at the 11th hour due to a long-term knee issue flagged during his medical. So, still with the Smurfs, will Oh show his quality at Ibrox?
Rangers vs Genk prediction
As already outlined, neither of these teams are very good at the moment, but we're backing Rangers to make home advantage count, keeping Martin in a job for a little bit longer: Rangers 2-1 Genk.
Rangers vs Genk FAQs - UEFA Europa League
How to watch Rangers vs Genk in the Europa League on TV channel?
Rangers vs Genk in the Europa League will be available on the following TV channels;
- UK: TNT Sports 2
- USA: Paramount+
- Canada: DAZN Canada
How to watch Rangers vs Genk in the Europa League on live streaming?
Rangers vs Genk in the Europa League will be available on the following streaming services;
- UK: Discovery+
- USA: Paramount+
- Canada: DAZN Canada
What is the date and kick-off time for Rangers vs Genk in the Europa League?
Rangers vs Genk takes place on Thursday 25 September 2025, with kick off at 20:00 (BST), 15:00 (EDT) & 12:00 (PDT).