Rangers welcome Malmo to Ibrox on Tuesday night in the second leg of their Champions League QR3 tie and ex-Gers striker Gordon Smith thinks Ryan Kent and Scott Wright could be key to Steven Gerrard’s side making it through to the next round.
The Light Blues trail 2-1 on aggregate after a battling first leg performance in Sweden earlier this week saw Steven Davis grab a late, late goal to keep the tie very much alive.
Smith, who also had a stint as director of football at Ibrox, is confident Rangers can turn it around at Ibrox and thinks the two creative talents in Wright and Kent can have a huge impact on the outcome.
While the Gers lost in a European qualifier for the first time under Gerrard in Sweden, Smith insists there were positives from the first leg but confessed that Rangers “need to up their game” at Ibrox as the Scottish champions prepare for a full house on Edmiston Drive.
“For the second leg, Rangers now need to up their game,” Smith told the Glasgow Times.
“They deserve credit from the first leg in that they didn’t settle on the 2-0 scoreline and for the final quarter of the match, went all out to get a goal that could prove to be crucial, and they achieved it with hard work.
“This proved that they can compete with the Swedes and with better defending and more creativity from midfield then this is still very much an open contest. I think that Kent and Scott Wright could be the two crucial players to help turn this in Rangers favour.
“They are both direct and positive and given that the Swedes are likely to play a deep and defensive game with counter attacks being their tactic I believe that both of these players will be pivotal in getting Rangers into the next round.”
Rangers will have Alfredo Morelos back for the Malmo clash and the Gers will be confident of booking their place in the playoff against Ludogorets or Olympiacos.
Having a full house at Ibrox can make a massive difference for Rangers too and Gerrard has already called upon the fans to help roar his side through.
After Gerrard confirmed Ianis Hagi will miss the trip to Dundee United later this afternoon, Wright and Kent look likely to be given the chance to pick open the Swede’s defence on Tuesday night.
Both can definitely make the difference for Rangers and with Morelos looking as though he’ll be back in the side too, there should be a few goals to come.
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