OLD FIRM IN EUROPA LEAGUE
Skipper Tavernier sets his sights on Europa quarters at third attempt
IT’S been sweet 16 for Rangers in Europe for the past two seasons but James Tavernier believes they have now come of age.
And proof of that would be a march beyond the hurdle they’ve hit against Bayer Leverkusen and Slavia Prague in their previous two Europa League campaigns.
As Rangers prepare to take on their 50th European match under Steven Gerrard, their captain knows they’ve improved beyond all recognition and doesn’t downplay their achievement of getting out of the groups the last two years.
But, as another adventure begins with the mouthwatering prospect of an opening clash with Lyon at Ibrox tonight, Tavernier insists it is now time to look beyond the last 16.
He said: “It’s definitely a realistic goal. We always want to set targets and to better ourselves from the previous seasons.
“It’s about getting out of the group stage and trying to get further.
“It’s the big nights under the lights. You come up against top teams and players – it automatically brings out the best in you. You want to compete against the best and show how good you are on that stage.
“To have a game at home in front of a full Ibrox that will be rocking, these are the games you want to play. It’s going to be a tough game but we look forward to these occasions.”
Tavernier is proud of his side’s impressive record in Glasgow in recent seasons, with Gerrard’s men losing just three times in 24 matches in Europe.
Leverkusen and Slavia were the only rivals to claim victories in Glasgow before the shock defeat by Malmo in the Champions League qualifiers this term.
Gers have welcomed Porto, Feyenoord, Galatasaray, Braga and Antwerp, all of them leaving having failed to dent the Scottish champions.
Tavernier knows Lyon could be their toughest test yet but he’s convinced they’ll feel the force of Ibrox this evening.
The captain said: “We want to make Ibrox a fortress. We don’t want any teams coming here and taking points away from us. We try to get the maximum points
from every single game and our record speaks for itself. We want this to be a tough place to come. With the fans this season, they’ll get right behind us and hopefully we’ll get the points we need to start the group stage.”
Rangers were toiling in Europe when Gerrard arrived but Tavernier believes continental rivals have now taken note.
He said: “Definitely. We’ve seen in previous seasons teams have come out and said we were really hard to play against. We want to continue and improve on that – to be a force to be reckoned with.
“The only way to do it is to push ourselves every day on the training pitch and keep the momentum going by winning games domestically.
“The transition has been overwhelming since the gaffer came in. We progressed a tiny bit before he came in but since then he’s transformed the place.
“His staff, everyone around him, the board have really invested in the team, the training ground and the stadium.
“They have really transformed this place to be the Rangers we know it is.
“We’ve got to show it at our end and get the results we need.”
Rangers breezed through last season but it’s been a bumpier ride this term with injuries and Covid problems hampering preparations. But the Light Blue juggernaut has managed to rumble on and Tavernier reckons it only shows the strength in depth Gerrard has assembled.
He said: “It’s one of the strongest squads we’ve had since I’ve been here.
“You see the lads who have come on during this season, everyone has stepped up and played their part.
“You look at Leon (Balogun) playing right-back against Celtic and winning man of the match. He was instrumental for us. We’ve got a squad now where everyone is competing to be in the starting XI but if anyone is asked to come in and do a job, the gaffer knows he can rely on them.
“Their attacking threat is very good, so it’s something we’ll need to be aware of as a team, we’ll need to concentrate for the entire game. Hopefully we can create chances and score some goals.”
The Ibrox skipp er has been denied the chance to avenge former Celtic striker Moussa Dembele with the Lyon striker out injured.
Dembele was on top when he was in Glasgow but Tavernier is more concerned about the French outfit’s other attacking options.
He said: “They’ve got other players in their squad we know bring quality to their team.
“We’re just looking forward to playing their full XI. He’s obviously not travelled but they have players who can do a job in that position.
“We are fully focused on who we need to mark in the starting XI.”
Tavernier is prepared for everything and anything on what he knows could be a tense evening.
He said: “We are always capable of putting a performance in for 90 minutes. In football you’re never going to control the game for the full 90. The opposition will always have spells during the game but we’ll try to minimise that as best we can.
“I was speaking to my brother the other day and we were saying it always seems the games you lead, you end up pinned in your own half in the last five minutes. That’s just football.”
It’s one of the strongest squads we’ve had since I’ve been here
JAMES TAVERNIER