Rangers draw inevitable according to Red Star manager Dejan Stankovic
Rangers were drawn against Serbian champions Red Star Belgrade in the Europa League round of 16 after defeating Bundesliga giants Borussia Dortmund.
The 6-4 aggregate win was a huge statement from Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s side who will have gotten a huge boost from the upset.
Their next task is a completely different kind of game with the Glaswegians expected to be favourites with the home leg at Ibrox on 10 March.
Crvena Zvezda manager Dejan Stankovic, former Inter Milan and Lazio player, says he knew they would be drawn against the Light Blues after their remarkable victory against the Germans.
“I just watched the Rangers games against Borussia Dortmund and they played two spectacular games against them,” he said, as quoted by the Scottish Sun.
“We know what we have to do. This is a reward for Red Star fans, the players and everyone at the club. We played well in the group stages and we have every right to believe.
“This is an opponent against whom we can do our best and hope for something good.
“If you saw my gesture after the draw, it was because I told everyone before it that it would be us against Rangers. When the first ball with Rangers came out, and then Red Star, I said that I had finished the job and that I could go, but it was all a joke.”
Bigger fish to fry
For both sides, there are far more important assignments this weekend as they both contest for the league title in their respective countries.
Rangers host Motherwell, attempting to close in on Celtic at the top of the Scottish Premiership while it’s the biggest game of the year in Serbia as Red Star host Belgrade rival Partizan in the “Eternal Derby” with the away side five points clear at the top.
Neither manager or team can afford to look ahead to the Europa League tie until it is the next game on the schedule because their league form is too important to ignore.
For van Bronckhorst, he has seen Celtic charge up from below and fly above his side since the winter break ended and now he needs Ange Postecoglou’s side to drop points to haul them back in.
Anything but victory against Motherwell is unacceptable and almost hands the title back to their Glasgow rivals.
In other Rangers news, Chris Sutton was sent into hysterics on BT Sport as Ally McCoist launched into a rampant Rangers attack.