Villareal play hosts to Rangers on tuesday night and 15,000 fans have made the journey, in a bid to grab a seat in the El Madragal Stadium. The Scottish fans are hopefull that they can reach the last eight after holding the Spaniards to a 2-2 draw at Ibrox, and they may not be dissapointed.
It is rumoured that many Spanish fans are willing to part with their ticket in a bid to cash in on the tie, which they expect to win comfortably. However the Villareal players are urging them not to hand the advantage to Rangers in the form of support, giving an impression that the players are not as confident as the bookies or fans.
Rangers were unlucky to come away from Ibrox without the win after Dado Prso had a fit of lunacy in the first half which cost Rangers a penalty. The Croatian forward is suspended for the return and is expected to be replaced by in-form Kris Boyd.
The Rangers gaffer, Alex McLeish, remains focused on the game whilst the talks for his replacement continue, with rumours that former Lyon chief Paul Le Guen has accepted a two-year deal.
McLeish, who is stepping down from his role at the end of the season, said:
"That's nothing to do with myself, I'm not concerned about that at all.
"I'm focused on this game with the rest of the players and that's what I will be doing between now and the end of the season."
And the manager was optimistic on his squad worries, giving Hamed Namouchi and Peter Lovenkrands as much time as he can, in a bid to see them fit for selection.
"We will have a close look at Namouchi in terms of the knock he picked up last week," McLeish added.
"We know Peter's capabilities and know how quick he is - that's if he plays, of course.
"He has been an important player in Europe this season.
"Suffice to say, we know his strengths and what he can bring us and we hope he can produce his top form as he has done in previous European games."
Chris Burke has declared himself fit for the tie.
Rangers squad (provisional): Waterreus, Hutton, Rodriguez, Kyrgiakos, Smith, Burke, Hemdani, Ferguson, Namouchi, Buffel, Boyd, Lovenkrands, Novo, Klos, Ricksen, Andrews, Murray, G Rae, Ashikodi.
Prediction:
Rangers went for a more defensive approach at Ibrox after giving Namouchi the nod over Buffel, but it is expected that Buffel will take the starting jersey in Spain. Rangers know they need to score in this game and with Prso missing, they need attacking players in the team, with Boyd and Lovenkrands expected to fill the remaining forward roles.
Villareal looked extremely uncomfortable with their match against Alaves at the weekend, which they just managed to win, despite the visitors pushing them all the way, and I expect the same to be the case against the Scottish champions.
Villareal 1-2 Rangers |
