Rangers ready to cope with 'hostile' Belgrade atmosphere, says van Bronckhorst
The Ibrox side head to Serbia for the second leg of their Europa League last 16 tie
Last updated 16th Mar 2022
Rangers manager Giovanni van Bronckhorst says they are preparing for a 'hostile' atmosphere ahead of their Europa League second-leg clash with Red Star Belgrade.
The Ibrox side travel to Serbia for the match tomorrow night following last week's 3-0 win at home.
Red Star Belgrade's Rajko Mitic Stadium is well renowned as having one of the most fierce atmospheres in Europe.
Van Bronckhorst thinks it is a big factor they will have to be ready for as they go to protect their big advantage and seal a spot in the quarter-finals.
He said: “We know we are going to a place where the atmosphere can be very, very hostile but that’s a thing we have to cope with.
“We have quite an experienced team and we’ve been in places before that are hostile.
“We have to deal with it, make sure we are mentally and tactically prepared and also make sure you are just concentrating on the game and the eleven other players.
“It will be a nice atmosphere to play in and we have to enjoy that as well.”
Despite holding a commanding lead at the halfway point of the tie, Giovanni van Bronckhorst says Thursday night is a clean slate.
The Dutchman says he saw plenty of signs from the Serbians at Ibrox last week that they are capable of causing problems and thinks they'll need to be tactically spot on to come away with the right result.
He said: “You start over again.
“The game last week has been played and now we play a new game. You have to approach it to have the best result possible tomorrow, you don’t go in knowing you have a 3-0 difference.
“We have to, from the first minute, be solid but be dangerous as well at the right moments in the game.
“There are moments in every game where you maybe go 1-0 up or 1-0 down but just make sure we stick to our tactical game plan and do everything we can to get a positive result after the game.”