Troy Deeney shares why Rangers fans should worry v Fenerbahce at Ibrox
Rangers are on cloud nine after yet another European escapade in which they raised their game on the continent.
The 3-1 win over Fenerbahce puts Rangers in the ascendancy heading back to Ibrox for the second leg, and gives a welcome boost to Barry Ferguson and the squad.
Ferguson and his Rangers side could have scored even more on the night in Istanbul (6 March) but will happily take a 3-1 aggregate lead back to Glasgow, having also defended deeply and managed to largely thwart Jose Mourinho’s side.
Fenerbahce tie nowhere near over, warns Deeney
Mourinho has been vocal since the final whistle in insisting the tie is not over, and Rangers will know that too, with a huge night now in prospect at Ibrox (13 March).
Troy Deeney has explained why Fenerbahce will still be a massive threat in the second match, having passed up chances during the second half of their home leg.
The former striker, live on talkSPORT (7 March, 10:45), has explained that Rangers cannot keep letting the likes of Edin Dzeko work Jack Butland throughout the whole game if they hope to make it through.
“I don’t disagree Rangers will score, but what I’m saying is Jack Butland made two really good saves turned around the post,” Deeney highlighted.
“Saint-Maximin was putting loads of crosses in and you can’t keep letting crosses come into Edin Dzeko. He’ll be better.
“I’m not trying to say Rangers were lucky, they were really good. But next time, I expect they’ll score more than one from seven shots.”
Rangers will have a lot of defending to do
One thing is for certain next Thursday, and that is that Fenerbahce will throw plenty forward in attack having stunned even their own national media with a poor display against Rangers.
The Turkish giants still maintain an experienced and star-studded array of talent up the pitch, even if some argue they are past their prime.
The likes of Dzeko are the definition of permanent class, and he will be itching to get off the mark in the second leg of a tie in which Fener must realistically score first to have any chance of progressing to the last eight.
| FENERBAHCE | MATCH STATS | RANGERS |
| 1 | Goals | 3 |
| 7 | Shots on target | 6 |
| 23 | Shots | 8 |
| 64% | Possession | 36% |
Rangers will have plenty of defensive tasks just like in the first leg, and Ferguson may opt to try and defend further up the pitch after sitting very deep and playing on the break in Istanbul.
Fener scored just once from 23 shots and were wasteful in front of goal, coupled with the alertness of Butland and his backline. But they will be cautious about how much pressure they invite from their visitors next week.