Philippe Clément maintained that last Thursday Rangers did not allow clear scoring opportunities to the Reds, and he hopes to be able to “do it again” in Glasgow.
Belgian coach Philippe Clément argued today that Rangers need to play above their usual level to prevail against Benfica on Thursday, in the second leg of the round of 16 of the Europa League.
“We know we need to play above our level to qualify, but we will do everything we can to do so and the support of our fans will give us a little extra,” said the Rangers coach, who drew 2-2 in Lisbon in the first game, in a press conference.
Philippe Clément noted that “the capacity sold out very quickly” and that the club could “have sold tickets to fill two or three stadiums”, considering that the leader of the Scottish League “could have already won in Lisbon”.
In the first leg, Benfica were at a disadvantage twice, following goals scored by Tom Lawrence, at seven minutes, and Dujon Sterling, at 45+5, but managed to equalize in both, thanks to Ángel Di María, at 45+ 2, from a penalty, and an own goal by Connor Goldson, in the 67th.
“In Lisbon, we didn’t park the bus in front of our goal, like so many teams do against them. (…) Of course, against a team like Benfica, with so much quality, we have to be more attentive, because there are so many players capable of making a difference”, he warned.
The coach maintained that last Thursday the Rangers did not allow clear scoring opportunities to the ‘reds’, and he hopes to be able to “do it again” in Glasgow, despite recognizing that his players made “some mistakes” at the Estádio da Light.
“We are not naive. We know that Benfica has talented and experienced players. He has world champions on his team, several young people with great talent, who will go for a lot of money, perhaps at the end of this season, like [João] Neves”, he analyzed.
Philippe Clément also recalled that, unlike Rangers, the Portuguese champion “saved five or six players” on Sunday, in the 3-1 victory over Estoril Praia, for the I League, but did not hide his satisfaction with the return to training from Todd Cantwell, despite the striker not being “prepared to play 90 minutes”.
“We know it will be a big surprise across Europe if we eliminate Benfica, but we are confident we can do it”, said the 49-year-old Belgian coach, who expects a good game at Ibrox, “because both teams will play for to win”.
English defender James Tavernier, 32, a “key player” in Philippe Clément’s opinion, expects a “very different game” on Thursday, promising to “give everything to reach the next round”.
Rangers will face Benfica, in Glasgow, on Thursday, in the second leg of the round of 16 of the Europa League, starting at 5:45 pm (Lisbon time), which will be led by Slovak referee Ivan Kruzliak.
2024-03-13 16:52:00
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