Philippe Clement is anticipating a lot of “heat” in the Karaiskakis Stadium when Rangers face Olympiacos and knows his team will face challenging opposition.
Rangers are travelling to Greece for their latest Europa League test, with the 4-0 win over Steaua Bucharest having put the team back on track after their 4-1 loss to Lyon.
Clement saw his side warm up for their European challenge with a hard-fought win over Motherwell at Hampden on Sunday that set up a final against Celtic and soon after the final whistle his attention turned to the test in Greece.
“It’s a nice place to go,” the Rangers boss said. “It’s always hot there, not only because of the sun but because of the fans.”
The Premier Sports Cup holders were favourites to defeat Motherwell and lived up to their billing despite falling behind to an Andy Halliday goal, with Cyriel Dessers and Nedim Bajrami scoring the vital goals. Clement says it won’t be the same scenario on Thursday evening.
“It’s a totally different game,” he said. “It’s not a game where you need to be dominant all the time.
“They’re a team with a lot of physical qualities but also technical qualities and very attack-minded.”
Clement looks set to have some important selection decisions to make ahead of the game.
Midfield schemer Tom Lawrence was injured during the League Cup victory and he didn’t train on Wednesday morning, making his involvement unlikely.
The manager may also consider shaking up his defence after captain James Tavernier was subbed off at Hampden. And though Cyriel Dessers was withdrawn for Danilo at the national stadium, he looks set to keep his place, with the Brazilian striker left out of the Europa League squad.
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