Rangers striker Alfredo Morelos has been namechecked as the Ibrox dangerman by key figures within the Borussia Dortmund camp ahead of the Gers’ trip to Germany.
The Ibrox side are set to play Champions League regulars Dortmund at the Westfalenstadion in a Europa League playoff first leg this week in what is surely the club’s biggest Euro clash in a decade.
As Rangers’ form somewhat swings following a stubborn restart after the winter break there is optimism heading into the clash but Dortmund have had an upswing of their own.
After a disappointing restart to their own winter break, the Germans dumped Bundesliga rivals Union Berlin 3-0 to haul themselves back into the title race.
It was an emphatic performance and one of the Dortmund goalscorers on the day – Raphael Guerreiro – spoke pre-match about the dangers of Rangers and namely El Bufalo, Alfredo Morelos.
“We have already viewed some of Rangers’ matches,” said Guerreiro [Daily Record].
“They are a solid, physical team but their big reference point in attack is Morelos.
“He’s a very dangerous striker and we need to try and avoid him being comfortable on the pitch against us.
“If we can stop Morelos, it will give us a big advantage over the Scottish club.
“I also think Ramsey will be important for Rangers. I know this player and he deserves to be in a team that wins big titles.”
Dortmund boss Marco Rose also namechecks Rangers star Alfredo Morelos
Raphael Guerreiro also isn’t the only one talking up Rangers star Alfredo Morelos as Dortmund boss Marco Rose also namechecks the striker.
Speaking after Dortmund’s thumping win over Union Berlin, the manager also talked up Ibrox winger Ryan Kent as being a key player for the Gers team as he branded the Gers “a really good team”.
“Preparation for Rangers is already going on in the background. They play 4-2-3-1 and 4-3-3, they attack with speed down the left wing with Ryan Kent,” said Rose [Herald].
“And they have a little striker up front, Alfredo Morelos, who works hard, fights and knows where the goal is.
“In general, they are a force at home, Ibrox is known for the atmosphere. We’re at home first and we know it will be an intense game, so we want to make our mark in the first leg.
“The Europa League is a new competition for us and a lot of our players have never played in it. Rangers are a really good team who play good football.
“It’s important that we enjoy this win and let out the frustration from last week. We’ve had a few slaps in the face recently so it was so important we kept a clean sheet today. We can build on that, but we still have a lot of work ahead of us.”
Alfredo Morelos is now the top scorer in the Scottish Premiership with 11 goals and five assists, seven of the strikes coming since van Bronckhorst joined the club.
Including the double in the 2-0 win over Sparta Prague, Alfredo Morelos has scored nine in total since Gio took over and 16 for the season.
Rangers go into the match off the back of a 3-0 win over Annan Athletic in the Scottish Cup and here’s how the team rated.
