Michael Beale calls for ‘typical Rangers’ ahead of Champions League clash with PSV
Michael Beale has called for his side to put in a “typical Rangers” performance when they welcome PSV to Ibrox in the first leg of their Champions League play-off.
The Ibrox club managed to squeeze past Morton in the Viaplay Cup on Saturday (19 August) with several first-team players missing from the match-day squad with Beale already having one eye on PSV.
Last season saw the Glasgow side beat the Dutch opposition to reach the group stages of the Champions League and they’ll have to do the same this season to sit at Europe’s top-table and Beale already knows what he needs from his squad to be successful.
Speaking after Saturday’s win with the Belfast Newsletter (20 August) he said: “It’s got to be a typical Rangers, Ibrox, European night where the fans have to be up and the players have to take the game to PSV.
“Our aim is to win the game but we get nothing for the end result on Tuesday. It’s a huge game. It’s a game we’re looking forward to, one where the two teams will throw a lot of punches and we have to make ours stick.”
Don’t come much bigger
It’s not normal for such crucial fixtures to arrive this early in a season, but Rangers aren’t a normal football club and every game when you’re managing at Ibrox is massive, especially when Champions League qualification depends on it.
PSV are a strong side, but one that the Light Blues know well having faced off with them only a year ago and they need to have the belief that if they were able to beat them last year, they’re more than capable of doing it this season.
Ibrox is a tough place to come to, especially on a European night where the blue side of Glasgow will be rocking and Rangers need to ensure they make the absolute most of the home advantage in the first-leg as they can’t let that opportunity slip.
Hopefully, the new names at Ibrox will see what makes Rangers such a special club and will be able to feed off the energy the Gers fanbase create on Tuesday to take a lead into the second leg.
In other Rangers news, one player has been open about the hole left in the squad by Ryan Kent this season