An unexpected but key part of Lyon’s squad at Ibrox tonight will be the former Liverpool man, Xherdan Shaqiri.
It was thought that the Swiss international would miss out due to Covid vaccine reasons but he has cleared the red tape to make the squad for the Europa League Group A opener.
There is no doubt that Shaqiri possesses quality but due to his fitness situation, doubts remain if the Premier League and Champions League winner will last the pace for the duration, tonight.
That will depend on how this encounter pans out and the approach taken by both sides but after playing 70 minutes in Ligue 1 against Strasbourg last Sunday, it is clear that he is still building up his fitness and sharpness, following a broken pre-season preparation with Liverpool – and subsequent move to France.
Looking ahead to the match with Rangers, Shaqiri stated, as reported by Glasgow Live:
“Rangers and their stadium is known and I don’t think we can expect an easy evening.”
“The atmosphere will be intense – but it doesn’t do them justice to just talk about the intensity of the fans.”
“Rangers are champions, they have some real quality, and it will be a big test for us.”
It will be up to Steven Gerrard’s team to meet that expectation and to take the challenge to the visitors – basically to live up to the hype.
After three previous unbeaten and impressive outings on Matchday 1 in the Europa League, the challenge for the Scottish champions is to rise to the task once more.
In particular, getting in the face of the likes of Shaqiri (with fitness questions) and asserting authority in the key midfield battle will be pivotal.
Confidence
Of course, Peter Bosz’ team will be out to impose their own game.
An open style, often susceptible to the counter-attack, will most likely be deployed again tonight.
Lyon have undoubted quality but the challenge for them is to demonstrate it, something that Shaqiri believes they can do, as he added:
“We started the season slowly but now we are finding the way we want to play and feel confident.”
“There is so much quality in this Lyon team that we feel we can achieve big things this season.”
“I have won league titles, Champions League titles, and I am here to win more trophies and help the team be successful.”
The battle lines have been drawn – now the action is about to unfold.