Rangers: Hibs forward Jair Tavares raves about ‘extremely dangerous’ Fabio Silva after defeat
Fabio Silva is “extremely dangerous” for Rangers because he is full of confidence at the moment, according to Jair Tavares.
The Hibs man told A Bola (12 March) that his fellow Portuguese forward had a “great game” in the 2-0 victory at Easter Road on Sunday (10 March), where he scored the second in the 83rd minute to make the result safe in a controversial encounter.
And ahead of the return leg of the Europa League tie against Benfica Tavares has given the Portuguese giants a slight advantage while admitting it is tough to play at Ibrox in front of the “extremely loud” Gers support.
Taveres said of Silva, translated to English: “It was a great game on his part. A confident player is an extremely dangerous player, and it is clear that he is confident, and when that is the case, things come out naturally. We talked a little in the tunnel, but not much.
On the Benfica visit to Glasgow he added: “I expect an extremely complicated game for both sides. After the Luz game I think that either team can go through to the next stage, although I can still see some advantage for Benfica, even though it’s not easy to play at Ibrox.
“Benfica will face a frenetic and electrifying atmosphere. I think these are the best words to describe the atmosphere at Ibrox. Rangers fans are extremely loud, and passionate about the club. They don’t shut up for a second, always supporting the team, from the beginning to the end of the game, and sometimes it even feels like they are on the field playing against you.”
Rangers loanee in strong form ahead of Benfica clash at Ibrox
It’s a good thing Silva looks to be in the mood at the moment given Philippe Clement is so short of attacking options.
The Wolves youngster and Cyriel Dessers are the only ones who have managed to come through unscathed by injury of late, and will surely be key against Benfica on Thursday (14 March).
Danilo, Abdallah Sima, Oscar Cortes and Todd Cantwell are all currently missing, while Ross McCausland and all-action stand-in Dujon Sterling both went off injured at Easter Road, and Rabbi Matondo has only just come back from his own lay-off.
Kemar Roofe is, at least for now, available to feature sparingly but has endured another nightmare campaign on the injury front that will likely end his stay at the club this summer.
The decision not to bring in a recognised goalscoring number nine in the mould of Lawrence Shankland during January may yet prove costly, but for now Silva’s early loan arrival is turning out to be very useful.
The 21-year-old’s strike at Easter Road was his fourth for Rangers and his ability to operate out wide in the absence of Sima and Cortes has ended up being crucial during the current selection crisis.
In other Rangers news, a senior Gers player is set to leave Ibrox with his agent now headed to Italy to seal his exit.
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