It appears that Slavia Prague manager Jindrich Trpisovsky really fancies his team’s Europa League encounter with Rangers, on and off the pitch.
He did not hide his delight following the Last 16 draw, after his side eliminated Brendan Rodgers Leicester City.
The Scotsman reported on the comments of the Czech coach, who is very keen to pit his wits against Steven Gerrard:
“I’ve wanted them for a long time because we haven’t played in Scotland yet. It’s an interesting match. Given what teams were there, we have to be very satisfied with the lot.”
This is a sentiment also expressed by many in the Rangers camp toward Slavia.
“I’m excited – it’s a Scottish club, Rangers, Steven Gerrard the coach, Ibrox Stadium, huge history.”
“About three weeks ago, I saw one of their matches.”
“Not just their position in the Scottish league, but also their performance in Europe, including the matches with Antwerp where they scored nine goals, show that it is currently the strongest Scottish team.”
“I saw Rangers recently and they have a slightly different style than Leicester. But when the team gets this far, it’s there because it has quality, so it blurs a lot.”
It is those blurred lines that make for a fascinating clash.
Slavia have earned respect from their Europa League exploits this season but so have Gerrard’s Rangers – still unbeaten over the course and very impressive against the likes of Galatasaray, Benfica and Royal Antwerp.
Meanwhile, Trpisovsky’s team came from behind yesterday in a 3-2 away victory at Slovacko in the Czech First League.
They showed character and a will to win with their second-half fightback after a 2-1 score at half-time.
Whilst there are questions of Slavia’s defence, they possess quality, strength and pace that Rangers will need to contain over the two legs of the Last 16 battle.
Next up for Slavia is a home league game against Banik Ostrava on Sunday ahead of the visit of Rangers to the Sinobo (Eden) Stadium.