UEFA Champions League Preview: Rangers vs Bursaspor
Rangers are busy preparing themselves for the visit of Turkish side, Bursaspor. Rangers will be looking to get an easy three points in tonight's game against a side that is relatively new and unknown to the world of European football.
Rangers were also given some good news prior to the match, with Steven Davis being declared fit to play in the match, after having passed a medical. The star midfielder had picked up a hamstring injury while playing against Ibrox.
The Rangers manager was however taking a very cautious approach to his match tonight. He insisted that the players and the team should not and could not take their opponents lightly, because they were playing in what is the biggest
competition in the world of club football and being arrogant has cost numerous teams, numerous points in the past.
The teams manager, Walter Smith was reported to have said: "I don't think after the home form last season we could go into any game in the Champions League as the favoured team,'' said Smith.
"We would hope we would do better at home this season. We need to achieve a far better balance between our attacking and defending than we have so far.
"All we have to do is concentrate on better performances at home this season than we had last season, that's the main objective from our own point of view.”
The manager then went on to focus on the fact that the team needed to work on their home form tremendously, if they had or wanted to have any chance of surviving in the contest.
He added: "Our away form last season, for the Champions League, wasn't too bad. It was our home form that was really disappointing and we have to make sure that we make the adjustment.
"The home games have been the problem for us. Having two home games coming up can be looked upon as an advantage but, in our case, we have to make it that way.”
"If we are hoping to have European football, of any kind, after Christmas we have to adjust the home form”
Rangers' opponents in tonight's game are the current reigning Champions of Turkey. The team was quite simply phenomenal last season. The team also won the fair play award last season. The team’s coach, Ertugrul Saglam, stated that
he has been a strong believer in fair play and playing football the right way, time and time again.
Nonetheless the team had not been doing just as good this season. They also managed to lose by four goals to Valencia last week and are looking to put an end to their losing streak in order to revitalize their season, with a win
against Rangers in Scotland.
Most experts sided with Rangers to take the three points from the game; that is of course unless something goes terribly wrong, or if Bursaspor pull off a dramatic upset in tonight's game.
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