Pedro Caixinha treating Progress Niederkorn clash like Europa League final
The Rangers boss has told his players to treat the game like the final and go for victory.
Rangers manager Pedro Caixinha has told his players to treat their second leg against Progres Niederkorn like the Europa League final.
Caixinha's squad travelled to Luxembourg for Tuesday's first qualifying-round game with a 1-0 lead after European football returned to Ibrox last week following a six-year hiatus.
The Portuguese coach is looking for a more aggressive performance from his side and he left them in no doubt he wants them to go for victory at the Stade Josy Barthel.
Caixinha told Rangers TV: You need to get on this game like it is a final - you are drawing the game and the team that wins, wins the trophy. That is the way we need to think about it.
We know what to expect now and we think they are going to behave the same way. Most of the time you put on an opponent's mind in order to see what they are going to do and how they are going to perform in order to organise the game, and I think they are going to do the same.
That was the point to which we worked, knowing what to expect, and we have worked on going a little bit more out to occupy spaces, explore spaces and be better in the last third.
We need to do exactly the same, and with those points in consideration, we need to play quickly and we need to be more aggressive on our offensive style.
Sometimes we have to be more direct, looking even more to the goal than to preparing the build-up to the attack when it is not needed. And, we want to start strongly in order to impose our game on our opponent, and try to score as soon as possible.''
Caixinha felt only the final ball or finish was lacking when Rangers hosted their opponents last week.
He added: So after six years, the first match of the season, and the first European match for many players in the squad, we did very well, and tomorrow, I think we will do even better.
We are leading the game and we are not worried about the away goal. We are just worried about developing our process, and of course, always thinking about winning the game and by winning the game you have the away goal present.''
Rangers travelled without Barrie McKay, who is in their Europa League squad but has been training with the under-20s amid reports linking Nottingham Forest and Cardiff with potential moves for the winger, who has a year left on his contract.
Mexican signings Carlos Pena and Eduardo Herrera were in the 20-man party after failing to make the bench for the first leg and Caixinha revealed one of them would be on the bench.