“Winner will take it all” – Gio expects tough fight from PSV
Soccer Football - Scottish Cup Semi Final - Celtic v Rangers - Hampden Park, Glasgow, Scotland, Britain - April 17, 2022 Rangers manager Giovanni van Bronckhorst celebrates after the match Action Images via Reuters/Jason Cairnduff
I don’t wanna talk
About things we’ve gone through
Though it’s hurting me
Now it’s history
Every Rangers fan should know their ABBA given how many of our players have songs based on the Scandinavian super group’s chart topping hits, however, “The Winner Takes it All” is, perhaps, the most apt of all when you see some of the lyrics especially ahead of our Champions League play-off tie with PSV Eindhoven later tonight.
We have been through an awful lot since we were last in the group stages of the continent’s elite tournament with the recovery 90% complete having won the Scottish Premiership title, the Scottish Cup and restored our reputation to almost unprecedented levels. A league cup win and being back in the Champions League would finally complete our return to the top though.
Speaking ahead of the tie, Giovanni van Bronckhorst was at pains to emphasise how close the games could be over the two legs and that both teams will be fighting tooth and nail to qualify as well as throwing in a little ABBA himself, as reported by The Scottish Sun:
“I think that the difference will be very small.
“The desire the teams will have, they are quite similar.
“It is going to be a big game for both clubs, because we all want to be in the Champions League and there is only one ticket left.
“I am sure we will see a PSV who are going to do everything to go through and we are going to see a Rangers team doing everything to go through.
“I think there’s all the ingredients of two great games and in the end the winner will take it all.”
I’m pretty sure the ABBA reference was accidental but the gaffer is right, getting into the group stages for either club has a massive effect on budgets for the next two to three seasons never mind just this one because we all know how much money, money, money, is available to the winners – sorry.
