Roy Makaay urges Rangers players to forget about PSV fixture and focus on Hibs
Rangers assistant manager Roy Makaay has urged his players to forget about midweek fixture against PSV and focus on what he admits will be a tough match against Hibs.
The Gers will face the Hibees in the Premiership fixture on Saturday at Easter Road in Edinburgh.
While talking to Rangers TV as quoted by Glasgow Times, Makaay was of the opinion that the players must put all their energies to secure a positive result in the next fixture.
“We have to face every challenge,” he said. “That is why we must park any thoughts about the PSV game as to be champions, you have to win these difficult away games as well.
“We know Hibs away is not going to be an easy one, but we hope we can win it. This is why we cannot think about Wednesday right now, as, after Saturday, we have plenty of time to think about the Champions League game.
“We know they have a good team. We had an intense game last year, which we won thanks to a penalty from Kemar just before the end. It is going to be an intense game on Saturday as well, so we know what to expect. We have had three days of preparation to watch Hibs rather than the usual two days, so the team will be well prepared.”
Important fixture
Rangers entered the campaign hoping to improve on their previous season where they finished second in the league competition, behind rivals Celtic.
As things stand, the Gers are still placed second on the league table with nine points, equal with their rivals but with an inferior goal difference.
Therefore, the game will be an important one for the players as well as manager Giovanni van Bronckhorst and he will be hoping to ensure that the Rangers will keep on producing positive results to remain in touching distance with their fiercest rivals.
Looking at the historical meetings between the teams, the Rangers fans as well as the players will be optimistic about securing all three points.
In 57 meetings in the Premiership between the teams, Rangers have a far superior record with 39 wins compared to eight victories of Hibs whereas 10 matches ended in a stalemate [Transfermarkt].
In both the meetings in the previous campaign, it was the Rangers who came out on top by 1-0 and 2-0 score lines.
In other Rangers news, this Ibrox star has been dubbed as a realistic late summer signing for Aston Villa.