Rangers face “a fight with history” as they bid to overturn a poor record against Malmo in their Europa League opener, says manager Philippe Clement.
The Ibrox side are in Sweden for their first match of the revamped Europa League, having lost twice to Malmo in Champions League qualifiers in the past 13 years.
In 2021 the Swedish champions prevailed 4-2 on aggregate against Steven Gerrard’s side, and Rangers have never beaten a team from Sweden in six attempts.
“I saw the stats the last couple of years against Malmo, which is not really good, so we have a fight with history,” Clement said.
“The team is very motivated to show a good face and grow again, like they have been growing the last couple of weeks.
“But I don’t believe in that also – it’s something new now. It’s not the same players, manager, or opponents.”
Wins against Dundee United in the Premiership and Dundee in the League Cup followed the disappointment of defeat by Celtic this month.
A return to Ibrox for the quarter-final triumph over Dundee also boosted morale for Rangers, who are aiming to reach the knockout stages of the Europa League for the fifth time in six seasons.
Clement’s side also face Manchester United, Tottenham, Nice, Lyon, Olympiakos, Union Saint-Gilloise, and FCSB of Romania in the tournament.
“With the draw we didn’t get any presents,” the Rangers boss added.
“That’s clear if you compare with other groups. So we have a really, really tough group to qualify out of.”
After a former Belgium international suggested Clement should be in contention for the Anderlecht job in his homeland, the Rangers boss also strongly reiterated he would not be leaving Ibrox having just signed a deal to 2028.
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Publish date : 2024-09-26 10:52:00
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