Light Blues are facing a serious test
RB LEIPZIG have not lost at home all season, but ex-Karlsruher coach Mark Fotheringham reckons Rangers can still give their campaign wings at the Red Bull Arena.
The ground has been a fortress during their first ever Bundesliga campaign, with Champions League regulars Borussia Dortmund and Schalke 04 both on the receiving end of defeats.
But while Rangers are huge underdogs in today’s friendly, Fotheringham, fresh from a stint coaching in the German second tier, believes they could gain from being tested by top-class opposition.
“I’ve watched RB Leipzig play and they are a serious team,” said Fotheringham. “That should be a positive thing for Rangers, because it’s always good for players to test themselves against the very best.
“Without a doubt, this game can give Rangers a lift if they go over there and show up well.
“It will be a completely different brand of football to what they are used to in Scotland. They will be going up against players who are drifting into different positions, players who are on a different planet, technically speaking. It will be alien to them.
“But for players like Barrie McKay, it’s a chance to show the Bundesliga guys what they’re all about.
“Technical players are heroes over there, so it’s a great platform for the likes of McKay.
“It’s a friendly, and the German lads won’t want to get injured, so they won’t be flying into tackles. It probably won’t be a true reflection of what RB Leipzig can do.”
Fotheringham was snapped up as a coach by newly-appointed Karlsruher SC boss Tomas Oral in the summer but he returned home aftyer Oral was sacked last month.
The former Celtic, Dundee and Norwich City star is a big fan of German football, and believes RB Leipzig, who splashed £13-million on Scotland star Oli Burke, are set to become a major power.
“As soon as I walked into their stadium I thought: ‘This is a Champions League club,’” he said.
“They’ve got the money, the infrastructure and the players to become an absolute monster club.
“They’re proving that in the Bundesliga – and it won’t be long until they are doing it against the best in Europe.”