Portuguese press warns Braga about Rangers duo ahead of Europa League clash
Rangers will face Braga in the Europa League quarter-final second leg on Thursday.
Ahead of the match, Portuguese newspaper O Jogo (12 April, page 11) has suggested that Braga are ahead of the Gers in almost every department.
Braga are leading the tie 1-0 from the first leg but the Gers are hopeful of turning it around.
O Jogo has hailed the Ibrox atmosphere as “electrifying”. The newspaper also suggests that Conor Goldson and Alan McGregor are two players who have outperformed Braga players in their respective positions.
The newspaper writes: “It remains to be seen whether this collective supremacy of numbers will be enough for Braga to impose their football at Ibrox, given that the stadium’s electrifying atmosphere often galvanises players led by the Dutchman Giovanni Van Bronckhorst.
“In individual terms, Braga’s advantage remains in sight, but not in all respects. If Ricardo Horta leads in assists and is second in the number of goal attempts, in defensive terms Rangers present strong arguments; central Goldson goes ahead in recoveries and cuts and goalkeeper McGregor is the one who makes the most defenses (saves).”
Huge game
This is a massive game for the Gers. The next two games could potentially decide Van Bronckhorst’s future as well.
The Dutchman took charge of the club from Steven Gerrard in the middle of the season and has done really well so far.
He took the Gers this far and will be looking to take them to the semi-finals of this competition.
On Sunday, Rangers will face Celtic in the Scottish Cup semi-final but the main priority right now is the Europa League.
The Bears have beaten teams like Borussia Dortmund and Red Star Belgrade so far, teams who are superior in quality to that of Braga, and there’s no reason to believe why they can’t win the second leg at Ibrox.
Rangers need to start the game strongly and get a goal to boost their confidence. At the same time, they must keep their concentration and remain solid at the back.
In other Rangers news, Michael Owen predicts result of Rangers Europa League clash v Braga.