‘Have to make sure’: Dortmund’s Witsel issues Ibrox claim for Rangers visit

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Axel Witsel expects Ibrox to be bouncing when Rangers host his Borussia Dortmund side in their Europa League knockout round play-off second-leg tie, via quotes by the Daily Record.

The Gers welcome BVB to Glasgow on Thursday night looking to see through their 4-2 first-leg advantage. James Tavernier, Alfredo Morelos and John Lundstram hit the scoresheet in North Rhine-Westphalia last week, before Dan-Axel Zagadou found the back of his own net.

Jude Bellingham and Raphael Guerreiro gave Dortmund hope of mounting a comeback by twice pegging Rangers back in Germany. They can now force the tie into extra-time should they win by two at Ibrox after UEFA ditched the away goals rule from the 2021/22 season.

Witsel anticipates a big atmosphere at Ibrox when Rangers host Borussia Dortmund, having beaten his side last week. The Belgian played the first 45-minutes at the Westfalenstadion before BVB boss Marco Rose hauled him off at the break.

“The atmosphere will be a big one in Scotland,” Witsel said. “We know they have a famous stadium and passionate fans who will be on a high after their result against us.

“We just have to make sure we focus on the way we know we can play and hope it is enough for a big turnaround.”

History favours Rangers ahead of Borussia Dortmund visiting Ibrox

Rangers have previously hosted Borussia Dortmund at Ibrox four times ahead of the Europa League knockout round play-off second-leg tie. The Gers have won three of the encounters and drawn once, with a biggest winning margin of 2-0 achieved twice.

Likewise, the Gers have won three of their four Europa League games in Glasgow so far this season. They have also won 2-0 twice, but lost 2-0 at Ibrox to Lyon who topped Group A.

Giovanni van Bronckhorst can also take comfort in Rose overseeing a poor away run in Europe this term. BVB finished third in their Champions League group after losing 4-0 at Ajax and 3-1 at Sporting Lisbon. They only beat fourth-place Besiktas 2-1 on the road.