If Rangers are to qualify for the quarter final of the Europa League, it seems imperative that they strike a blow to Red Star Belgrade at Ibrox tonight.
A cauldron awaits in the Serbian capital next week but Rangers managed a shut out at the Rajko Mitic Stadium in 2007 to secure Champions League group stage football and a repeat of that would be most welcome. Thanks to a 1-0 first leg victory at Ibrox, courtesy of a late Nacho Novo goal, a lead was established to take to Belgrade which was enough to get the job done.
With the Dortmund victory still fresh in the memory, the supporters will be expecting Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s team to be aggressive and on the front foot just as they were against the Germans. The team has the pace and guile to hurt Red Star but this game will be a new challenge from an opposition who have held their own in the Europa League this season, topping Group B which contained Braga, Midtjylland and Ludogorets.
Looking back to 2007, inspiration for current day progress in the Europa League can be drawn from this side, under the legendary Walter Smith, who successfully saw off the Serbs.
Rangers starting line-up v Crvena Zvezda – Champions League third round, first leg qualifier. Ibrox, 14th August 2007
Allan McGregor, Alan Hutton, Carlos Cuellar, David Weir, Kirk Broadfoot, Lee McCulloch, Brahim Hemdani, Barry Ferguson, Kevin Thomson, DaMarcus Beasley, Jean-Claude Darcheville.
Subs – Nacho Novo (goalscorer, 89), Daniel Cousin.