Ibrox latest: Benfica reported €120m rangers chasm lays bare following Philippe Clement reality check.

Rangers manager Philippe Clement believes Benfica’s larger transfer budget makes them favourites for the Round

of 16 Europa League match.

The Gers are in Lisbon, preparing to play the Portuguese heavyweights and their expensively prepared team in the

But, if the Benfica squad is expected to defeat Rangers in the encounter due to their greater financial investment,

how large is the gap between the two teams?

Here, we look at both Europa League squads and the reported transfer amounts spent by both sides, with the

findings sure to turn some heads.

It comes after Philippe Clement openly addressed the difference in transfer prices ahead of the match.

Will it provide Rangers fans with perspective going into the two-legged tie? Oh, of course not. We continue to expect

our team to put everything on the line in pursuit of progress.

Rangers has chosen a 22-man Europa League roster for their journey into the competition’s knockout stages, with

three changes from the first half of the season.

While teams can register 25 players, this season’s squad lacks homegrown options, preventing us from doing so. Cue

Nonetheless, the Rangers roster, albeit far smaller than Benfica’s, has received a significant amount of investment,

with a total of £34.25 million spent creating this year’s club.

DEF – James Tavernier (£200k), Ridvan Yilmaz (£5m), John Souttar (free), Connor Goldson (£3.5m), Dujon Sterling (free), Ben Davies (£4m), Borna Barisic (£2.2m)

MID – John Lundstram (free), Ryan Jack (free), Mohamed Diomande (£4.5m), Nicolas Raskin (£1.7m), Tom Lawrence (free), Todd Cantwell (£1.5m)

FWD – Scott Wright (£150k), Rabbi Matondo (£2.5m), Abdallah Sima (loan), Fabio Silva (loan), Kemar Roofe (£4.5m), Cyriel Dessers (£4.5m)

Benfica’s Europa League team costs £153.9 million.

When Philippe Clement mentioned a financial discrepancy, rest certain that the Rangers manager did not lie.

When it comes to transfer deals, Benfica is in a whole different league than Rangers, with the Ibrox club’s largest

outlay – the £5 million for Ridvan Yilmaz – eclipsed by Benfica’s (£26 million for Orkun Kökçü).

Despite regularly spending more than £10 million on players, Benfica’s Europa League team only has 19 registered

names, owing to the fact that so many of its players are B-listers from the club’s academy.

You’ll also observe that, while this squad has been expensively formed (Benfica has outspent Rangers by a massive

£119.65 million), it appears to be a little top heavy.

Do Rangers fans fear this team after being thrashed by FC Porto and with manager Roger Schmidt under increasing

pressure?

DEF – Alvaro Fernandez (loan), Morato (£6.5m), Alexander Bah (£6.8m), Juan Bernat (loan), Nicolas Otamendi (£12.8m)

MID – Fredrik Aursnes (£12.8m), Orkun Kökçü (£26m), João Mário (free), Florentino (Academy)

FWD – David Neres (£12.8m), Arthur Cabral (£21.3m), Angel di Maria (free), Casper Tengstedt (£8.3m), Rafa Silva (£13.8m), Benjamin Rollheiser (£7.7m), Marcos Leonardo (£15.7m), Tiago Gouveia (Academy)

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