Rangers get their Champions League qualifying campaign underway tomorrow night when they face Malmo in Sweden, and ex-Gers defender Kirk Broadfoot recalled the last time the sides met ten years ago in the Light Blues’ last Champions League outing.
The Light Blues imploded against Malmo ten years ago with Steven Whittaker and Madjid Bougherra getting sent off as Ally McCoist’s rein in charge of Rangers got off to the worst start possible.
Broadfoot, who signed for Inverness CT in the summer, thinks that Rangers will have enough about them to make the next round and believes the Gers’ recent European experience has proven they are a stronger team now than the one that faced Malmo a decade ago.
“These qualifiers are so early in the season and you’ve only had a few warm-up games before that, so you’re thrown right into them,” Broadfoot told the Daily Record.
“We had the added problem that some players were looking to leave, like Madjid Bougherra, so that doesn’t help.
“And then early in the match Steven Whittaker was sent off for throwing the ball at one of their players after he was challenged.
Then we went down to nine men when Madjid caught one of their players with his elbow and we were really up against it.
“I fancy them to go through. They’ve shown their calibre in Europe and they’re stronger now.”
Rangers will be without Leon Balogun, Kemar Roofe and Glen Kamara tomorrow night with all three serving bans picked up last season.
Injuries will likely mean no place for Ryan Jack and Ianis Hagi too so Gerrard will have to shuffle his side a fair bit from Saturday.
With a potential Champions League windfall awaiting Rangers, they’ll be desperate to avoid a repeat of 2011 when they last took on Malmo in a Champions League qualifier.
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