James Tavernier in unique Rangers vantage point as he deploys little brother as Liverpool spy

James Tavernier doesn’t need to look too far for advice on what’s lying in store for Rangers at Anfield tonight.

A quick call to his wee brother is all that’s required. Marcus Tavernier had only just arrived as a summer signing at Bournemouth when the Premier League new boys arrived on Merseyside at the end of August. They made the long trip back to the south coast with tails between legs after a nine goal annihilation - a horror story of a result which cost manager Scott Parker his job.

And that warning was ringing in the ears of the Ibrox skipper yesterday as he led his team mates out onto the same pitch ahead of a daunting Battle of Britain in the Champions League. Tavernier recalled: “I obviously spoke to Marcus soon after that game. I just wanted to ask him about the comparisons between Liverpool and Manchester City. And basically he said that whenever they had a shot it was a goal.

“This is the level that you are playing against - world class players - and if you give them a chance, eight or nine times out of 10 it is going to be in the back of the net.

“So we have just got to try and limit those chances. That’s what we’ve got to do - try to limit the chances and put our own stamp on it.”

Easier said than done, perhaps. But Rangers crossed the border yesterday, itching for a chance to turn this European campaign around after back-to-back defeats in their opening two games against Ajax and Napoli.

Perform as timidly as they did in Amsterdam and it could become another painful experience for these players. But Tavernier believes the penny dropped that night in Holland.

He went on: “We learnt our lesson in Amsterdam. We probably gave them too much respect when they had the ball. It was night and day performance