Sky Sports pundit Charlie Nicholas claims Rangers will struggle to beat Feyenoord this evening.
The two sides face off in their opening appearances in Europa League Group G, with Porto hosting Young Boys in the group’s other tie.
It’s all to play for right now and after getting back on track against Livingston at the weekend, Rangers carry some momentum into this one.
They progressed through four rounds of qualifying to get to this stage, never once falling behind in a tie.
Yet, that isn’t enough to convince the ex-Celtic striker that they’re ready to defeat the Dutch club.
“This will be a fiery game,” Nicholas told SkySports.com. “Feyenoord have a strong reputation. Feyenoord have the passion but are not bringing the support they would always bring.”
“Rangers enjoy these nights and that is why Steven Gerrard is there. They have not clicked into gear just yet though. Jaap Stam’s side will sit in for 20-25 minutes and this could cause frustration around Ibrox – this is when they could pounce.
“It will be tense and very physical. I don’t know if Rangers quite have the knowledge to get through these games yet.”
Verdict
Tonight’s game will be a good gauge of just how far the Gers have come under Steven Gerrard.
Things went a lot better than some expected last season in Europe, but this time around, he has been handed a much tougher group.
Nicholas’ comments don’t suggest he believes the hosts have much hope but there’s every chance his Celtic lean has him turning a blind eye to Rangers’ largely impressive start to the season.
There’s no doubt Feyenoord will be strong. In Jaap Stam, they have an esteemed name at the helm and multiple Dutch internationals including Steven Berghuis and Luciano Narsingh among their ranks.
This shouldn’t be a challenge that has Gers players overawed, though. The visitors have only won two of their opening five league matches and despite the absence of Ryan Kent, the Gers still have plenty of quality attacking firepower of their own.
Furthermore, in Steven Gerrard, they have a manager who knows a thing or two about big European occasions from his playing days.
