Gerrard urges players to show mental strength

Steven Gerrard revealed he has ordered Rangers to practise penalties ahead of their Europa League decider with Legia Warsaw.

But the Ibrox boss admits it is unlikely to prepare his Light Blues players for the lonely walk they could end up facing tonight as they go in search of a place in the group stages.

Gers will be put on the spot should they repeat last week’s goal-less draw in Poland when Legia visit Glasgow for the second leg.

He made his players rehearse their spot-kick technique at the Hummel Training Centre, but confessed the shooting drill will bear little resemblance to the scene that could yet await at Ibrox.

He said: “Taking a penalty in front of 22 players and 10 members of staff is not the same as doing it in front of 47,000.”

Gerrard’s team kept their cool amid the frenzied atmosphere they faced at the Polish Army Stadium last week, and the manager has urged his team not to panic should Legia grab an away goal in Govan, which would leave Gers having to score at least twice to qualify.

He said: “We want to be as aggressive as possible. We want to avoid conceding an away goal, of course we do.

“But we also have to prepare for setbacks within the game and if things take a turn for the worst.

“I don’t want to see a negative reaction if that is the case. We want to play this game with confidence and belief.

“We’ve got a decent record at Ibrox. It’s not the nicest place to come to for opposition players.

“We expect the fans to be right up for this one. We expect the place to be rocking. We want to give them a performance that suits that atmosphere.

“I think only our maximum will be enough tomorrow.”

With the opening Old Firm clash of the new campaign to come on Sunday, the former Liverpool skipper is excited by what the next few days may have in store for his side.

“These are the weeks why I signed up to be the Rangers manager,” he declared. “These are the weeks that the fans want and I’m really excited by the next four or five days.”

Meanwhile, Rangers have been hit by a second UEFA charge for sectarian singing.

The club faces the additional charge over illicit singing in the first leg of their clash with Legia Warsaw last Thursday.

A club statement said they will not be requesting tickets for its next European away game.

The statement added: “Those who wish to sing offensive songs must realise by now that they are insulting Rangers players, staff, and fellow fans.”

SNS. Picture: Steven Gerrard has had his players practising penalties ahead of tonight’s second leg.