We’ll do the double over Rapid, insists confident Coulibaly

LASSANA COULIBALY predicts Rangers will make the last 32 of the Europa League having already put Rapid Vienna to the sword at Ibrox. Last night’s stalemate with Villarreal left Steven Gerrard’s side with a win-or-bust scenario when Group G comes to its conclusion on December 13. But the Malian midfielder feels the pulsating 3-1 win over the Austrians earlier in the campaign will allow his team-mates to travel in the belief they can get the result which would extend their European adventure into the New Year. ‘We are confident after already beating them, although this game will be different because it’s now about qualification,’ said Coulibaly. ‘They’ll do everything to beat us as we beat them at home. ‘It will be very, very difficult to win there and we need to concentrate for the whole game, give our energy and hopefully qualify. ‘But we are confident, having won the game at Ibrox so well. I think we will qualify. ‘We would have taken this scenario at the start of the campaign. We are still in a good position.’ On a night when Rangers had to show huge resolve after the dismissal of Daniel Candeias on the stroke of half-time, no one did more to earn the point than Allan McGregor. The keeper twice denied Karl Toko Ekambi before making a string of decent saves after the break. ‘Of course he has saved the team a lot and he is helping us very well,’ added Coulibaly. ‘He is the best goalkeeper that I have played with. I have played in Ligue 1 with Bastia and Angers, but he is the best keeper. Of course he gives the team confidence. He can’t do it alone so we are trying to help him and he is helping us, too.’ Paying tribute to the character Rangers showed in the second half, Coulibaly added: ‘We know it is not easy 11 versus 11 against Villarreal, it is very hard. So ten against 11 is even more difficult. We had to do all of our work to keep the score at 0-0. ‘At half-time, the manager said it was not easy to play ten against 11, so everyone had to work hard from the keeper to the striker. Everyone gave all their energy so he was happy for that.’ Coulibaly (below) was adamant that Candeias was wrongly shown a second yellow card. ‘It was not Candeias who made the initial foul — it was Tav (James Tavernier),’ he claimed. ‘But it was the referee’s decision, so we can’t do anything about it. If the referee says Candeias, then it’s Candeias. ‘We told him it was Tav but he said no — that he saw Candeias. He said it was No 2 yet he showed the second yellow card to Candeias. But No 2 is Tav. I don’t understand that.’ Asked if Rangers might have won the game had they kept 11 men on the park, Coulibaly replied: ‘We felt confident with how the game was going.’