Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
GERS TO DO IT THE HARD WAY
PEDRO CAIXINHA last night urged his new-look Rangers to buck the trend in the Europa League. The Ibrox outfit return from a six-year continental absence with a clash against Luxembourg minnows Progres Niederkorn. Rangers are gunning for the group stage but must overcome four rounds and eight gruelling ties to escape the qualifying phase. Caixinha knows the size of that task having worked out that just six teams have made it from the first qualifying round to the group stage in the past five years. Tonight sees 100 hopefuls set out on the arduous journey and recent history suggests no more than one will make it. Caixinha, though, is undaunted and has challenged Rangers to be 2017-18 trailblazers. He said: “We know it is difficult. We tried to make a small study from the last five seasons and at least one club, some seasons two clubs, went from the first qualifiers to the group stage. “Monaco, with their Portuguese coach Leonardo Jardim, went from the second qualifying round of the Champions League and arrived in the semi-finals. That’s an achievement. “Our focus is tie by tie, qualifier by qualifier and the target is to get to the group stage.” Striker Kenny Miller echoed his manager’s plans and added: “It’s not a lot but there has been at least one over the past four or five years which has made it. Everyone is trying to get into the play-offs initially and then the group stage so we are going to do it the hard way. “If you’re not going to give everything you’ve got and aim towards that then you’re never going to get there.” Caixinha is set to unleash as many as seven of his summer recruits tonight. Ryan Jack, Dalcio, Fabio Cardoso, Alfredo Morelos, Carlos Pena (inset) and Eduardo Herrera could all feature but defender Bruno Alves is on Confederations Cup duty with Portugal. Clint Hill, Philippe Senderos, Emerson Hyndman, Jon Toral, Andy Halliday and Joe Garner have all departed while Michael O’halloran, Rob Kiernan, Joe Dodoo, Matt Crooks and Harry Forrester have been left out of Gers’ Euro squad.