Michael Stewart shares Rangers v PSV verdict on BBC Sportscene
Michael Stewart has said that Rangers will have to play “better” than they did in their first leg against PSV if they want to reach the Champions League group stage.
Michael Beale’s side drew the first leg of their play-off tie 2-2 at Ibrox, with goals from Abdallah Sima and Rabbi Matondo ensuring Rangers have it all to play for when they travel to the Netherlands on Wednesday (30 August).
Last season the Light Blues managed to beat the same opposition at the same stage of the tournament under the management of Giovanni van Bronckhurst, but Stewart believes they are a much more difficult opponent this season.
Speaking on the BBC’s Sportscene on Sunday (27 August, 58:40) he said: “I think PSV are tougher, I was disappointed with them last season and I thought they performed pretty well at Ibrox.
“But Rangers have put themselves in a great position with that result. I think they’ll have to do better than they did last week, but they’re capable of it and hopefully they can.”
Capable of it
The aim of Beale’s overhaul this summer was to create a team that was able to overthrow Celtic domestically and Champions League-ready in Europe and whether or not the Gers make it, they certainly appear to have a strong enough squad.
The first leg result at Ibrox was crucial as Beale’s side couldn’t afford to let their home advantage slip away and while a win would have been a much more welcome result than a draw, it means that Rangers are well and truly still in this tie.
Needing to win away from home is never an ideal situation, but last season’s exploits will instil confidence in the players who remain at Ibrox from that successful clash and there is a sense of confidence that they are more than capable of reaching the group stage once again.
Hopefully, the Light Blues can find that added bit of quality that was occasionally missing in the first leg at Ibrox and be that little bit better as suggested by Stewart if they are, they should be lining up in Europe’s premier competition this season.
In other Rangers news, despite recent rumours, the Gers don’t look set to add Jesse Lingard to their squad