Rangers job is simple tonight, win and a place in the play-off round of the Champions League is all that stands between them and a bigger transfer budget for Philippe Clement.
The manager has been in Europe’s elite tournament before and went toe-to-toe with teams like Paris Saint Germain and Real Madrid – getting positive results in the process.
Dynamo Kyiv are tonight’s opposition at the Ibrox backup Hampden Park with the tie evenly poised at 1-1, and Clement has given his thoughts on Rangers ahead of the winner-takes-all clash.
Philippe Clement fully aware of Rangers consequences
After a spirited performance in Poland last week, the Gers boss was happy with the efforts of his squad and knows the consequences of going one better this time around:
“I think it (qualification) can make things happen faster.
“Going to the Champions League is not budgeted and that is the best way because some teams have done that in the past and they had really big financial problems out of that. We can’t do that, clearly.
“Of course, if you can go to the Champions League it will give you another budget, although it is only in the last hours of the transfer market at the moment. But it will be an important thing, for the future windows at the club.”
Speaking ahead of tonight’s game in Glasgow, Clement gave an update on his team’s fitness and why Vaclav Cerny was absent:
“Everybody is excited for that (the tie), it’s a pity that we lose Leon (Balogun) this evening with a minor injury but nothing really, really bad, he’s not good enough to play so, it’s not possible, it’s a pity, it crosses with the plans that I had in my mind.
“For the rest, everybody’s fit, only thing is medical and performance staff advised me not to start Vaclav Cerny after the minutes he took at the weekend and the minutes he took before and to give him moments when the tempo drops at bit more in the game unlike the first-half when it’s full power.
“So, after his good minutes in the last game, you want to start with him but those are the decisions and moments that we need to make them better.
“It is understandable, he has only been training with us a little more than one week”.
Clement needs quality to meet Rangers objectives
The first-choice team is starting to take shape, and the additions of Vaclav Cerny and Robin Propper immediately improve Clement’s options.
The problem so far has been the depth outside of the starters; however, the gaffer will be hoping that he can move bodies on so that he can rectify the situation.
Ross McCausland has big shoes to fill on the right-hand side of the attack but did perform well in Poland last week.
Always positive, Clement will hope that he has given his squad the belief that they can get the job done, even if it isn’t in front of a raucous Ibrox.
Winning could make his job easier and also buys time for his team to gel and to get new faces in that can be registered for the next stage.
